The much-awaited Rafale aircraft that finally arrived in India last month will be formally inducted into the Indian Air Force on September 10 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The ceremony, which will be held at the Ambala airbase in Haryana, and is likely to see the participation of French Defence Minister Florence Parly. "The Rafale aircraft induction ceremony would be held on September 10 with the Defence Minister as the Chief Guest. The French-origin fighter aircraft are part of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Air Force. (With ANI inputs)The deal was signed in September 2016 with Manohar Parrikar as the Defence Minister, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in 2018-2019 played a significant role in defending the deal when the opposition alleged corruption in the project before the general elections in April-May last year.

Source: dna August 28, 2020 04:40 UTC