Ambala: Amid the ongoing border tension with China along the line of actual control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Air Force, on Wednesday, inducted a fleet of five French-made Rafale fighter jets into its stable at Ambala airbase in Haryana.
The fighter jets have landed at Ambala Air Force station in Haryana around 3pm after covering a total distance of 8,500 kilometres from Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux on Monday with a stopover at Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE.
“The ferry was planned in two stages and was undertaken by IAF pilots. The aircraft covered a distance of nearly 8500 km from France to India,” IAF Spokesperson Wing Commander Indranil Nandi said.
Read also: First batch of 5 Rafale jets arrive at Ambala airbase
The first stage of the flight covered a distance of 5,800km in seven and a half hours.
French air force tanker provided dedicated air-to-air refuelling support during the flight.
The second stage of the flight covering over 2,700km was carried out with Air-to-Air Refuelling by IAF Tanker.
“IAF deeply appreciates the proactive support provided by the French Government and Industry in France to ensure timely delivery. The tanker support extended by French air force during the ferry was crucial in ensuring that the long haul flight was accomplished successfully and in a time bound manner,” he added.
The aircraft will be a part of 17 Squadron, the “Golden Arrows”, which was resurrected on September 10, 2019.
Read also: Rafale will revolutionize Indian Air Force's capabilities, says Rajnath Singh
The squadron was originally raised at Ambala Air Force station on October 1, 1951.
17 Squadron has many firsts to its credit; in 1955 it was equipped with first jet fighter, the legendary De Havilland Vampire.
In August 1957, the squadron became the first to convert on to a swept wing fighter, the Hawker Hunter.
A formal induction ceremony of Rafale aircraft in 17 Squadron is scheduled to be held in the second half of August 2020.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the landing of Rafale fighter jets in Ambala with a tweet in Sanskrit which refers to the obligation of protecting one’s nation being supreme.
The Prime Minister’s tweet came moments after the first batch of five Rafale Jets touched down in Ambala.
“There is no greater blessing than protecting the nation, protecting the nation is a virtuous deed and protecting the nation is the best Yagna. There is nothing beyond this. Touch the sky with glory. Welcome,” a rough translation of his tweet says.
In a stern message to adversaries, the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, said they should be worried if they want to challenge India’s territorial integrity.
राष्ट्ररक्षासमं पुण्यं,
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 29, 2020
राष्ट्ररक्षासमं व्रतम्,
राष्ट्ररक्षासमं यज्ञो,
दृष्टो नैव च नैव च।।
नभः स्पृशं दीप्तम्...
स्वागतम्! #RafaleInIndia pic.twitter.com/lSrNoJYqZO
“I would like to add, if it is anyone who should be worried about or critical about this new capability of the Indian Air Force, it should be those who want to threaten our territorial integrity,” Rajnath tweeted and posted a video clip of the Rafale jets landing at the Ambala base of the Indian Air Force.
The minister also credited the prime minister with taking a timely decision for the purchase of the aircraft.
These five jets include 3 single-seater and 2 twin-seater aircraft.
In 2016, India had inked a Rs 59,000-crore deal to buy 36 Rafale aircraft from French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation.
The Birds have landed safely in Ambala.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 29, 2020
The touch down of Rafale combat aircrafts in India marks the beginning of a new era in our Military History.
These multirole aircrafts will revolutionise the capabilities of the @IAF_MCC.
The first Rafale jet was handed over to the IAF in October last year during a visit to France by Singh.
While the first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at Ambala airbase, the second one will based at Hasimara airbase in West Bengal.
The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the India-Pakistan border is around 220km from it. Currently, the base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison.
Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.
