5 Rafale fighter jets land in Ambala

Ambala, July 29: The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets that entered the Indian air space a while ago, landed at the IAF Station here on Wednesday after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 kms to join the Indian Air Force (IAF). They were escorted by 2 Su-30 MKI when the fighter jets entered the Indian airspace.

 

 

 

Confirming the news, Defence Minister said, "The Birds have landed safely in Ambala. The touch down of Rafale combat aircraft in India marks the beginning of a new era in our Military History. These multirole aircraft will revolutionize the capabilities of the IAF.

 

 

The Minister congratulated the IAF saying, "I congratulate the IAF on a professionally executed ferry. I am sure that 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, will continue to live up to their motto of 'Udayam Ajasram'. I am extremely happy that IAF’s combat capability has got a timely boost." He also expressed gratitude towards the French Government, Dassault Aviation, and other French companies for ensuring the timely delivery of the aircraft and its weapons, despite the severe restrictions posed by the COVID pandemic.

 

 

"The Rafale jets were purchased only because PM Narendra Modi took the right decision to get these aircraft through an Inter-Governmental Agreement with France after the long-pending procurement case for them could not progress. I thank him for his courage & decisiveness," he added. Emphasizing that the arrival of the jets will make IAF much stronger, he said that the aircraft has very good flying performance and its weapons, radar, and other sensors and Electronic Warfare capabilities are amongst the best in the world and can deter any threat that may be posed on our country.

 

 

Rubbishing off the allegations against the acquisition of the fighter jets, he said, "The Rafale jets were purchased when they fully met the operational requirements of the IAF. The baseless allegations against this procurement have already been answered and settled." He also slammed who doubted the capabilities of IAF. "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," he added.

 

These 5 aircraft include 3 single-seater and 2 twin-seater aircraft and were flown by pilots of the 17 Golden Arrows led by Commanding Officer Group Captain Harkirat Singh along with other pilots. The aircraft took off on Monday for India from an airbase in France. The weather in Ambala was cloudy with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers being forecasted.

 

Due to the arrival of Rafale fighter jets in the city on Wednesday, Section 144 is being imposed in four villages close to Ambala airbase. Munish Sehgal, DSP Traffic, Ambala, said the administration is on a high alert and the gathering of people on roofs and photography during landing has been strictly prohibited.