Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said all the 36 sanctioned Rafale fighter jets will be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) by April 2022.

The minister made the remarks in Rajya Sabha and said by March this year seven of the fighter jets will be inducted.

So far, India has procured 11 of the 36 ace fighter jets. An inter-governmental deal with France was made at a cost of Rs. 59,000.

India received its first batch of the five France based Dassault manufactured jets on July 29 last year. Following which, the second batch of three flights were delivered on November 4, last year, while, the third batch landed on January 27.

Rafale is a 4.5 generation omni-role aircraft which can carry out at least four missions in one sortie. It comprises HAMMER missiles and will be armed with beyond visual range missiles like Meteor, SCALP and MICA, increasing its ability to take on incoming targets from a distance.