The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force will handle the midair-refueling of India’s three Rafale warplanes flying to Ambala from France. The move comes after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Gulf leaders. The exercise is seen as a new chapter in the military cooperation between the two countries.
Rafale jets arrive at the Ambala Golden Arrows Squadron in Haryana from the Bordeaux-Merignac Base in France. The UAE Air Force’s Airbus Multi-Roll Transporter Tanker (MRTT) will twice refuel the eight hour non-stop flight
French Airbus MRTT refueled four of the five Rafale flights that arrived in India on July 29, 2020.
It is reported that a trilateral joint military exercise involving France, UAE and India will take place soon.