24 rafale

The PM will be in France on July 13-14 during which he will be the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade. The multi-billion dollar deal for 24-30 Rafale-Marine jets is likely to be announced during his two-day visit. Sources said that the Indian Navy has expressed its preference for the French Rafale Marine over the F-18 Super Hornets of the US. Though there is no clarity about the price, they are expected to be cheaper than the version bought by the IAF earlier.

India procured military hardware worth Rs 1.93 lakh crore (almost $24 billion) from abroad in the last five years, which included helicopters, aircraft radars, rockets, guns, assault rifles, missiles and ammunition from countries like US, Russia, France, Israel and Spain, among others.

India procured military hardware worth almost $24 billion from countries like the US, Russia, France, Israel and Spain among others, in the last five years. The military hardware included helicopters, aircraft radars, rockets, guns, assault rifles, missiles and ammunition. India has inked 264 capital acquisition contracts for military equipment since 2017-2018, which included 88 deals with foreign vendors accounting for 36% of the total value, junior defence minister Ajay Bhatt said.

The Republic Day parade on Wednesday was special this time as it not only fell into the 75th year of Independence, which the country is celebrating as ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, but also because it had several firsts like the marching contingents of the Indian Army showcased the evolution in uniform and personnel weapons of soldiers over several decades and a grand flypast by 75 aircraft.

India’s deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets has been mired in controversy, with the opposition accusing the government of corruption and favouritism. Now France has ordered a judicial inquiry into the deal, reigniting the issue. Here’s what the Rafale deal is all about.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will formally induct the five Rafale fighter aircraft into the Indian Air Force on September 10 at the Ambala air base. Five Rafale fighter aircraft arrived in India from France on July 29 and have started extensive training within 24 hours of touching down in the country. The French-origin fighter aircraft are part of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Air Force.

As the 24-hour deadline given by Rahul Gandhi demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Rafale defence deal came to end on Thursday evening, the Congress chief attacked finance minister Arun Jaitley for failing to acknowledge his demand, saying that the government is “too scared to face the people”.

Suat Serdar celebrated his 24th birthday by scoring his first Bundesliga goal of the season as basement side Schalke 04 snapped a 12-game winless run to beat Augsburg 1-0 at the Veltins Arena on Sunday.

Indian Air Force (IAF) director general (inspection and safety) air marshal Manavendra Singh on August 5, 2020, wrote a letter to the Haryana chief secretary (CS) Keshni Anand Arora, while asking for the civil administration support in tackling the threat to Rafale jets from birds roaming in the vicinity of the airbase in Ambala Cantt.

US and Chinese companies dominated the global arms market in 2019, while the Middle East made its first appearance among the 25 biggest weapons manufacturers, a report by the SIPRI research institute said Monday.

With India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) set to be commissioned next month, the Navy is now fast-tracking its case for acquisition of at least 24-26 supersonic fighters to operate from its sprawling deck on the high seas.

In the ongoing Indo-French wargames Desert Knight-21, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat will undertake a sortie in the French Rafale fighters on Thursday. "The CDS would be briefed about the wargames and how the joint exercise would be enhancing interoperability between the air forces of the two countries," Indian Air Force officials told ANI.