Indian Air Force receives last of 36 Rafale fighters amidst border tensions with China.

The Indian Air Force tweeted on 15 December that it had received the last of the 36 French-made Dassault Rafale fighters it had purchased, Arjit Garg reports in ZeeNews India. This event took place amidst the rising tensions at the Eastern Border with China after the clash in Tawang: "FEET DRY! 'The Pack is Complete' The last of the 36 IAF Rafales landed in India after a quick enroute sip from a UAE Air Force tanker. Shukran jazeelan," mentioned IAF.

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The 36th Rafale (not this one illustrated here above) was inducted swiftly into the Indian Air Force at the peak of the conflict with China and started operating over Ladakh within a week of its arrival  (Picture source: IAF)

This 36th Rafale was inducted swiftly into the Indian Air Force at the peak of the conflict with China and started operating over Ladakh within a week of its arrival. The final Rafale got its fuel topped up by a UAE Air Force tanker through air-to-air refuelling. French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain, on December 15, said that he is proud to see 36 Rafales with full equipment after all the 'Rafales' landed on Indian soil. Taking to Twitter, Lenain said, "Proud to see all 36 Rafales on India's soil and fully equipped with India-specific enhancements".

Indian Air Force inducted the Rafale in an aim to modernize its fleet made of Sukhoi Su-30MKI, French-made Mirage and Indian-made Tejas LCA to further strengthen IAF's arsenal.

India ordered 36 Rafale aircraft from France in September 2016 and two squadrons of the Rafale have been established by the Indian Air Force. The first one was in Ambala, Haryana and the second was in Hasimara, West Bengal, Arjit Garg writes. While the former is aimed to counter any attack from the Western border, the latter takes care of misadventures from the East.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force has also started upgrading the Rafales to the highest standards and has been equipped with all India-specific enhancements. The French firm Dassault Aviation is also involved in the maintenance of the aircraft whose serviceability is over 75 percent.