NEW DELHI — The Indian air force (IAF) has dispatched two of its Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft to France as part of a long-awaited deal to upgrade around 50 of the aging supersonic fighters. The modernization will cost an estimated $2.4 billion under an agreement signed between India, Thales and Dassault Aviation in July.

NEW DELHI — Yet another Indian air force MiG combat aircraft has crashed, the eighth IAF MiG to go down this year. The pilot ejected safely. The MiG-21 Bison fighter took off from Sirsa Air Force station base on the morning of Dec. 2 for a regular practice flight and crashed a short time later into a field in a village in northern India’s Haryana state about 40 km away, police and air force officials said. An IAF spokesman said the pilot, Wing Cmdr. J.D. Singh, was safe.

India and the Middle East countries will account for 11% of the world’s aircraft deliveries in the next decade, says a recent report by OAG. However, both markets face immense challenges in meeting the expected growth in passengers and aircraft operations, which will require massive expansion of infrastructure and high-performing aviation systems, the report says.