Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday took a sortie in a Rafale in France after formally receiving the first fighter jet. Dressed in a G-suit, Rajnath took to the cockpit of a twin-seater trainer version of the Rafale jet. He was helped with strapping on the security equipment by officials of the Indian Air Force (IAF) who have accompanied him on the trip. He waved his arms and showed the thumbs up sign before the glass cockpit of the fighter jet shut down upon him.
The multi-role aircraft took off from an airstrip near the facility of the Dassault Aviation at 7:24 p.m. IST for a sortie that would last nearly 30 minutes.
The fighter jet was flown by the chief test pilot of Dassault Aviation Phillipe Duchateau.
Rajnath Singh attended the handover ceremony along with his French counterpart Florence Parly at aircraft maker Dassault Aviation facility in Merignac, southwestern France. The defence minister also performed a Shastra Puja on the new aircraft as he emblazoned on it with an 'Om' tilak and laid flowers and a coconut before his sortie.
The RB001 Rafale, denoting the initials of Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Bhadauria who played a key role in striking the deal for the jets in his previous role as IAF deputy chief, was unveiled just moments ago behind him, with the Indian tricolour as its backdrop.
This range of Rafale fighter jets have been specially designed to meet the needs of the IAF, which its manufacturer described as a new step in the company's long-standing relationship with India.
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