NEW DELHI: The IAF has raised the second Rafale squadron, the 101 ‘Falcons of Chhamb and Akhnoor’, in Ambala ahead of their formal induction at the Hasimara airbase in West Bengal for the eastern front with China.
With the first Rafale squadron, the 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ fully operational at the Ambala airbase with its full complement of 18 fighters, the 101 squadron has been resurrected with five jets that have touched down in India, IAF sources said.
The remaining 13 of the 36 twin-engine Rafales, contracted under the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked with France in September 2016, are slated to arrive in batches before April next year. The IAF is “absolutely on target” on the Rafale induction plan, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said on Saturday.
