NEW DELHI: Away from the escalating political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress over the Rs 59,000 crore contract for 36 Rafale jets inked by the NDA government in September 2016, the IAF is currently undertaking joint flights with three of the French fighters as well as an Atlas A-400M military transport aircraft, a C-135 mid-air refueling tanker and an Airbus A310 cargo aircraft in India.The French Rafale combat jets and the other aircraft touched down at the Gwalior airbase, which is home to the French-origin Mirage-2000 fighters, over the weekend on their way back from the multi-nation “Pitch Black” air combat exercise held at Darwin in Australia from July 24 to August 18.The IAF had also deployed four Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, a C-130J Super Hercules plane and a C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft, along with a contingent of 145 personnel including a Garud commando team, for the Pitch Black exercise. “Our pilots flew in the Rafale jets during the exercise, as also the F/A-18 Hornets, while the French pilots flew in our Sukhois,” said an IAF officer.The French Air Force is undertaking the ongoing operational mission called “Pegase” in the Asia-Pacific to reinforce France’s presence in this region of strategic interest and deepen its relations with its main partner countries, said embassy officials.After Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, this French Air Force detachment, which involves over a hundred aviators, are making a stopover at the Gwalior and Agra airbases. “On this occasion, joint flights and exchanges between the French and Indian Air Forces are being conducted,” said a French embassy official.“This mission in India is yet another illustration of the depth of the Indo-French strategic partnership, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, and the great trust that prevails in the relations between our respective armed forces,” he added.France, which is slated to deliver the 36 Rafales to the IAF between November 2019 and April 2022, is of course among the seven contenders to bag India’s recently re-launched over $20 billion competition for acquiring 114 new fighters, as was earlier reported by TOI.