India is all set to receive a fourth batch of three Rafale combat aircraft from France on Wednesday evening. United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force’s Airbus 330 multi-role transport tankers will provide air-to-air refuelling to the jets over the Gulf of Oman, if reports are to be believed.
These three aircraft will join the Golden Arrows Squadron stationed at Ambala Air Force station. With the arrival of the new batch, the number of the Rafale aircraft will increase to 14.
Quoting to sources in Rafale manufacturers Dassault Aviation, Hindustan Times reported that these three aircraft will take off from Merignac airbase in France’s Bordeaux at 7am on March 31 and are most likely to reach Gujarat around 7pm.
The Indian Air Force is set to raise a second squadron of the Rafale combat aircraft in mid-April and it will be based in Hasimara air base in West Bengal. India is expected to get more Rafale jets from France in the next couple of months. A squadron comprises around 18 aircraft.