French Rafale repaired using Indian parts
August 15, 2024
On 12 August, the French Armée de l’Air et de l’Éspace took advantage of the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) between India and France, in what the French described as a concrete example of 26 years of strategic partnership. In order to repair a French Rafale temporarily deployed to India, the French used a spare part supplied from Indian Air Force (IAF) stocks, through Indian channels. This allowed a much speedier return of the unserviceable aircraft to airworthy status.
French and Indian Rafales have frequently exercised together, and last year, an IAF Rafale even participated in the 14 July (Bastille Day) flypast over the Champs Elysees. On this occasion, however, the Rafale was understood to be in transit, returning from the fifth iteration of Exercise Pegase, an annual French Air and Space Force-led deployment to the Indo-Pacific. This is intended to exercise interoperability and co-operation with regional air forces.
