The first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft has landed at the IAF Air Force Station in Ambala on Wednesday.
According to the reports, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria welcomed the Rafale fleet at Ambala. The five fighter aircraft, which were flown by Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, landed at Ambala Air Force station after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the fighter jets with a tweet in Sanskrit, which said that they have been dedicated to the security of the nation. The PM also posted a video of the jets landing at the air force ground.
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
“The Birds have landed safely in Ambala. 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,” tweeted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The Touchdown of Rafale at Ambala. pic.twitter.com/e3OFQa1bZY
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 29, 2020
As soon as the Rafale jets landed, the new fighter jets were given a water salute given at Indian Air Force airbase in Ambala, Haryana.
#WATCH Water salute given to the five Rafale fighter aircraft after their landing at Indian Air Force airbase in Ambala, Haryana. #RafaleinIndia pic.twitter.com/OyUTBv6qG2
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2020
The aircraft will be officially inducted into the IAF in the second half of August.
Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had tweeted about five Rafale fighter jets entering the Indian air space, which was escorted by two Sukhoi-30 MKIs as they entered the Indian air space.
The Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata (D63), which is deployed in the Arabian Sea had earlier established contact with the Rafale jets and had welcomed the five Rafale jets.
The five Rafale jets are to be inducted into the Indian Air Force at the Ambala later in August. They had left the Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux-Merignac facility on Monday, July 27.
