Three more Rafale jets arrive in India from France
New Delhi, Mar 31: A fourth batch of three Rafale fighter jets landed in India on Wednesday evening after flying non-stop from France, in a further boost to the strike capability of the Indian Air Force.
The jets were provided mid-air refuelling by air force tankers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the IAF said.
The 4th batch of three IAF #Rafales landed on Indian soil after a direct ferry from #IstresAirBase France," it tweeted.
The IAF also thanked the UAE air force for refuelling the Rafale jets, describing it as yet another milestone in the strong relationship between the two air forces.
The IAF did not disclose the base where the Rafale jets landed.
"Another batch of #Rafale take to the skies on non stop flight to India with mid air refueling by UAE. Indian Air power grows further," the Indian Embassy in France tweeted earlier.
With the arrival of the three jets, the size of the Rafale fleet has increased to 14.
The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.
The formal induction ceremony of the fleet had taken place at Ambala on September 10 last.
A second batch of three Rafale jets arrived in India on November 3, while a third batch of another three jets joined the IAF on January 27.
The first Rafale squadron is based in Ambala air force station.
The Indian Air Force is set to raise the second squadron of the Rafale combat jets in mid-April and it will be based in Hasimara air base in West Bengal, according to military officials.
India is expected to get more Rafale jets from France in the next few months.
The Rafale jets, manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia.
The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.
The 4th batch of three IAF #Rafales landed on Indian soil after a direct ferry from#IstresAirBase France. pic.twitter.com/Ch36dgptNF
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 31, 2021
Rafales were refueled in-flight by UAE Air Force tankers. This marks yet another milestone in the strong relationship between the two Air Forces.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 31, 2021
Thank You UAE AF.@IndembAbuDhabi @Indian_Embassy pic.twitter.com/6gFwh0AnjR
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War Far Away, Pain Right At Your Door
There is a war burning in West Asia — far from India's borders, far from our daily worries. But here is something nobody is telling you clearly — that war is quietly walking towards your kitchen, your house, your farm, and your factory. You may not see it coming. But you will feel it.
Let us talk simply, the way one neighbour explains to another.
West Asia — the region that includes countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran — is not just the world's petrol pump. It is also a massive warehouse of raw materials that India depends on heavily. India bought goods worth nearly ₹8.3 lakh crore from this region in 2025 alone. That is not a small number. That is the foundation of many things you use every single day.
Now, missile and drone attacks are hitting energy facilities in the Gulf. Ships are scared to sail. The Strait of Hormuz — a narrow sea passage through which a huge chunk of the world's oil and gas travels — is under serious threat. If that route closes, the impact will not just stop at petrol prices. It will go much deeper.
Your home could become costlier to build.
India gets 68% of its limestone from West Asia. Limestone is the main ingredient in cement. No cement, no construction. And even if cement is available, its price will shoot up. Gypsum — which is used for plastering your walls, making false ceilings, and giving your home that smooth finish — also comes 62% from the same region. If ships stop, your dream home project either stops or burns a bigger hole in your pocket.
Your food could become expensive too.
India imports about 65% of its sulphur from West Asia. Sulphur may not be something people notice in daily life, but it is used to make sulphuric acid, which is essential for producing phosphate fertilisers. Fertilisers feed our crops, and crops feed us. If sulphur supply is disrupted for a month or more, production of phosphate fertilisers in India could be affected.
At the same time, if LNG or sulphur supplies are disrupted for a month or more, India’s overall fertiliser production — including urea and phosphate fertilisers — could face disruptions, potentially affecting farmers in the coming season.
Less urea means farmers may struggle during the next sowing season. When farmers struggle, food production can suffer. And when food production falls, food prices rise — something households, especially those on tight budgets, feel immediately.
The steel in your city's roads and bridges is also at risk.
India gets nearly 59% of its Direct Reduced Iron — a key raw material to make steel — from West Asia. Steel is everywhere. It is in the beams of buildings under construction, in the infrastructure projects your city is waiting for, in the auto parts and machinery. Industry people are already saying that while alternative sources exist for materials like limestone and DRI, the real killer is the rising and unstable price of oil and gas. Most steel plants run on LPG and LNG. When gas prices go up, the cost of making steel goes up, and ultimately, that cost passes on to you.
Even the shine on your jewellery is at risk.
India's diamond cutting and polishing industry — which employs lakhs of workers, mostly in Gujarat — gets more than 40% of its rough diamonds from West Asia. If conflict disrupts that trade, those workers feel the pinch first. Jobs slow down. Incomes fall.
So what is being done?
India is already adjusting. Refiners are buying more oil from Russia at discounted prices. Fertiliser companies are looking at Southeast Asia for sulphur. Limestone can potentially come from Thailand or Vietnam. But these alternatives take time, cost more to ship, and cannot replace West Asia overnight.
The fertiliser sector has some breathing room for now since it is currently the off-season for farming. But experts are clearly warning — if disruption continues beyond one month, the next crop season will feel the squeeze. That means the farmer in Punjab, the vegetable grower in Maharashtra, the paddy cultivator in Andhra — all of them could face higher input costs with no guarantee of better prices for their produce.
There is a quiet truth here that needs to be said plainly. Wars do not stay in the places they start. They travel through trade routes, through shipping lanes, through price tags in your local market. This one is no different.
Every brick that costs more, every bag of fertiliser that gets delayed, every power bill that climbs higher — these are not just economic numbers. These are real burdens on real families who are already managing tight budgets, rising expenses, and uncertain futures.
The war may be far away. But its shadow is already falling on us — slowly, silently, and surely.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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