Three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force will take part in France’s Bastille Day event next month which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As many as 26 Rafale jets were procured by India from France under an inter-governmental framework.
PM Modi will attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade as the guest of honour. A tri-services contingent is also set to participate in the parade along with their French counterparts.
The jets will take part in the Bastille Day flypast over the Champs Elysees in Paris on July 14.
The Rafale jets, which are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons, are India’s first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia.
In August last year, a French Air and Space Force contingent, including three Rafale jets, made a strategically crucial stopover at the IAF’s Sulur base in Tamil Nadu as part of a mega military operation it carried out in the Pacific Ocean.
French President Emmanuel Macron made the announcement on Twitter.
Cher Narendra, heureux de t’accueillir à Paris comme invité d’honneur du défilé du 14 juillet !प्रिय नरेंद्र, 14 जुलाई की परेड के सम्मानित अतिथिके रूप में तुम्हारा पेरिस में स्वागत कर के मुझे बहुतखुशी होगी। pic.twitter.com/XTJi4MiE0E
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 5, 2023
Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs announced that Modi will attend the Bastille Day Parade as the guest of honour.
“The prime minister’s visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France strategic partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for our strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries,” it said.
(With PTI inputs)
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