Paris, March 25 (IANS): The first two upgraded IAF Mirage 2000 combat jets were on Wednesday handed over to the Indian authorities at a ceremony at the Dassault Aviation Flight Test Centre at Istres in the south of France.

The aircraft were received by Indian Ambassador Arun K. Singh at a ceremony also attended by Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier and Thales Executive Vice President (Defence Mission Systems) Pierre Eric Pommellet.

The contract for the upgrade of Mirage 2000 fleet was signed in July 2011.

“The maiden flight of the first upgraded Mirage 2000 was completed successfully by Dassault Aviation on October 5, 2013, following a two year development phase dedicated to the equipment kit provided by Thales including the radar, the electronic warfare suite and the mission computer,” a joint statement from the two companies said.

“Today’s ceremony is the result of the excellent understanding between the Indian and French partners and of our commitment to India,” Trappier said while speaking on the occasion.

Noting that India was Dassault Aviation’s first export client, he said “the historical relationship we nurtured with the Indian Air Force has spanned 60 years, growing from strength to strength”.

Dassault is also the manufacturer of the Rafale fighter that the IAF has chosen after a comprehensive selection process for a medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA).

Pointing out that over 40 of the IAF's Mirage 2000s would be upgraded in India, Pommellet said this would make the government's Make in India initiative “something concrete and real”.

“Thales has been operating in India since 1953 and employs 300 people across the country. We are trusted partners of the Indian armed forces and have developed a strong local supply chain which helped us to make the upgrade of the Mirage 2000 a real success story,” Pommellet added.