Correct Answer : Both 1 and 2
France has delivered all 36 Rafale fighter jets to India, said the French Envoy in India, Emmanuel Lenain, speaking on the sidelines of the French National Day celebrations.
However, while 35 jets have arrived in India, one jet still remains in France, official sources said.
One Rafale jet, which is the instrumented aircraft on which the 13 India specific enhancements (ISE) are being tested, is still in France.
The last batch of three Rafale jets had arrived in India in February, taking the total Rafale jets in inventory of the Indian Air Force to 35. Work on upgrading all the Rafale jets in service to the Indian standard configuration with the 13 ISE is currently underway in India.
The naval variant of the French jet, Rafale-M, is in the race along with Boeing F-18 Super Hornet for the Indian Navy’s tender for jets to operate from its aircraft carriers.
In January, the Rafale-M had demonstrated its compatibility by operating from the Navy’s shore-based test facility in Goa, while the F-18 carried out demonstration in May.
India and France had signed a €7.87 billion inter-governmental agreement (IGA) in September 2016 for 36 Rafale multi-role fighter jets in fly-away condition, following the announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2015 citing “critical operational necessity” of the IAF..
Source : The hindu
