Amid political dogfight, 3 Rafale fighters arrive for Aero India

Rafale Aero India manorama One of the three Rafales sent for Aero India touching down at Yelahanka | onmanorama

Three Rafale fighters landed at the Indian Air Force Station at Yelahanka in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening for the upcoming 12th edition of Aero India, starting from February 20.

The first Rafale touched down at 6:01pm, followed by the other two, signalling the beginning of the much-anticipated sky party for Aero India. Out of the three Rafale fighters, two are two-seaters and one is a single-seater.

Interestingly, the Rafale fighters landed in Bengaluru at a time when the political dogfight over the selection of these planes has reached a crescendo. The Comptroller and Auditor General submitted a report that looked into the purchase of the Rafale in Parliament on Wednesday.

The arrival of the Rafales generated great enthusiasm among aviation enthusiasts of Bengaluru and the media, who had thronged outside AFS Yelahanka on Wednesday evening.

The practice flying sorties for Aero India will begin on Thursday and the Rafale fighters are expected to take part in it along with other flying machines.

The last port of call for the Rafale fleet before reaching Bengaluru was Al Dhafra air base in the UAE. The Rafale fleet was accompanied by a refuelling tanker over the Bengaluru skies. The tanker is said to have flown to a nearby commercial airport after the Rafales landed at Yelahanka.

Aero India officials confirmed that ahead of the arrival of the Rafale fighters, a Mirage 2000 and MiG-21 of the Indian Air Force touched down at Yelahanka. Team Yakovlevs, a top-notch close-formation aerobatic display team from the UK, too have landed.

An Airbus A-400M, a turboprop military transport aircraft, also arrived for Aero India on Wednesday.

The IAF’s star aerial display teams, the Sarangs and the Suryakirans are expected to join the party on Thursday.

The full dress rehearsal (FDR) for Aero India is on February 18 and 19. Around 5.5 lakh people are expected to visit Aero India from February 20 to 24.

HAL is checking the feasibility of flying all its helicopters during the formation flypast on the inaugural day of Aero India.

Plane major Airbus is landing with A330 Neo, its new wide-body family member that boasts of advanced materials, new optimised wings, composite sharklets and highly efficient engines that together deliver 25 per cent reduced fuel burn and CO2 emissions.

Airbus is also planning demonstration flights by its C-295 new-generation tactical air-lifter that can perform multi-role operations under all weather conditions.

An Aero India app is now available for mobile download that will enable visitors to buy tickets online in addition to providing show updates. Aero India 2019 is being touted as a show with many firsts and the organisers are ensuring that all shortfalls of the 2017 edition are being looked into.

HAL is the primary organiser of Aero India 2019 along with the IAF and ministry of defence.