India is going to get a shipment of sophisticated French Rafale warplanes

Online desk

India is set to receive the first shipment of a state-of-the-art French Rafale fighter jet amid ongoing tensions with China. Al Jazeera reports that five aircraft, which departed from the southern French Marignac base on Monday, will reach India on Wednesday.

According to the media, the macro administration has handed over the planes for this year's shipment as well as trained 12 pilots and 8 engineers of the Indian Air Force to operate them. The warplanes will reach India after covering a distance of about 7,000 km. The Indian embassy in France has confirmed in a statement that a total of 36 aircraft will be handed over to India by next year in accordance with the schedule. According to an agreement reached with France in 2016, India will also receive weapons such as Meteor missiles from Paris for Rs 59,000 crore, according to Al Jazeera.