The delivery of the Rafale fighter jets will be delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The first four aircraft were expected to arrive in the country in May.
But now the same are likely to land in India by July next.
According to reports, Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux-Mérignac production facility, which manufactures the Rafale, has been hit by the lockdown in France, which will continue until May 11.
Sources said the training of Indian personnel on the Rafale has resumed in a limited manner, after being stopped completely for a week-and-a-half late in March.
The training flights are operating under strict COVID-19 protocols.
The first four Rafales had been formally handed over to India in October 2019, and were set to arrive in May.
But now the entire schedule has been jeopardized.
Four Rafale jets are currently under production at Dassault’s facility, while four others are undergoing trials.
According to the contract, of the 36 Rafales India has ordered, 11 are to be delivered every year.
The first set of the Rafale aircraft will be commissioned into the 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ in Ambala, while a second squadron is set to come up in Hasimara, West Bengal, to secure India’s eastern borders.
By integrating the Rafale, the Indian Air Force will have the most potent 4.5-generation fighter aircraft.
