NEW DELHI, Sept 9 - In the midst of a political firestorm over the Rafale jet deal, the Indian Air Force is quietly making preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots, to welcome the fighter aircraft, official sources said.
They said the IAF is sending a batch of pilots by the end of this year to France for training on Rafale jets.
A number of IAF teams have already visited France to help Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, incorporate India-specific enhancements on-board the fighter aircraft.
India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The delivery of the jets � capable of carrying a range of potent weapons and missiles � is scheduled to begin from September next year.
Sources said Dassault Aviation has already started test flight of Rafale jets to be supplied to India and the company has been told to strictly adhere to the timeline for delivery of the aircraft.
The Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infrared search and tracking systems among others.
A team of IAF pilots have already trained on Rafale jets in France and they will again go there by the end of this year, sources said.
The Congress has raised several questions about the deal, including rates of the aircraft, while the government has rejected the charges.
Sources said the first squadron of the aircraft will be deployed in the Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF. The Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from there. � PTI
