Amid Ladakh Standoff, India Likely to Get First Batch of 6 Rafale Jets by July-end

New Delhi: Amid escalated tension with China over border dispute in Eastern Ladakh, India is likely to receive the first batch of six Rafale fighter jets by July 27 which are expected to significantly boost the combat capability of the Indian Air Force.

In the wake of the Ladakh standoff, the Indian Air Force has been on a high alert for the last two weeks. In the bloody clash with China in Galwan Valley, 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The two armies are locked in a bitter standoff in the region for seven weeks now.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had on June 2 held a telephonic conversation with his French counterpart Florence Parly during which she conveyed that the Rafale jets will be delivered to India as scheduled notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic in France.