The Rafale fighter aircraft featured for the first time in the Republic Day flypast as it carried out the ‘Vertical Charlie’ in a fitting finale.
In a major boost to India’s air power capability, five French-made multirole Rafale fighter jets were inducted into the IAF on September 10 last year.
The fighter jet conducted Eklavya formation by flying at a height of around 300 meter along with two Jagaur and two MIG-29 aircraft. The five jets resembled a V shape with Rafale leading the pack.
The Rafale jets, manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are India’s first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia.
