The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets were escorted by two Sukhoi 30 MKIs after they entered the Indian air space (Twitter/@DefenceMinIndia)
Rafale in India LIVE updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the arrival of the first batch of five Rafale jets at the IAF Station in Ambala Wednesday. Also, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s office told PTI that the Rafales were escorted by two Sukhoi 30 MKIs. Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria received the fleet at Ambala. The five fighter aircraft, which were flown by Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, arrived here after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates. The aircraft will be officially inducted into the IAF in the second half of August.
A security blanket has been thrown around the air force station by the police, on the request of the IAF to prevent any photography and videography of the arrival of the aircraft. Further, Section 144 has also been imposed in four villages close to the Ambala airbase.
India had bought 36 twin-engine fighter planes from Dassault Rafale for an estimated Rs 58,000 crore, through an inter-governmental agreement signed in 2016. The Number 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Indian Air Force has been resurrected in preparation for the induction. The Golden Arrows were raised in 1951 and have been involved in a number of significant operations through their history, including the Kargil War. But after the Air Force started to phase out the Mig-21, which were operated by the Golden Arrows, the squadron was disbanded in 2016.
The Rafale aircraft took off from the Merignac airbase near Bordeaux in France.
Pointing out that the Indian Air Force’s combat capability has got a timely boost following the arrival of the first batch of five Rafale fighter jets from France, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday said those who want to “threaten our territorial integrity” should be “worried” about India’s latest possession.
“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,” Singh tweeted after jets landed at the Ambala Air Force base at around 3:10 PM after covering a distance of 7,000 km from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux. READ MORE
While China’s J20 Chengdu jets are called fifth generation combat jets, compared to 4.5 generation Rafale, the J20 have no actual combat experience. Whereas the Rafale is combat proven, having been used by the French Air Force for its missions in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali. It has also been used for missions in Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria. Rafale can also carry more fuel and weapons than the J20. READ MORE
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to express himself on the Rafale deal, moments after the five jets safely landed at Amabala Air Force station. "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 wrote.
The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets that entered the Indian air space a while ago, landed at the IAF Air Force Station in Ambala Wednesday. The Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft were escorted by two Sukhoi MKIs as they entered the Indian air space.
The Rafale jets, which are expected to land shortly, manoeuvred a fly past at Ambala air force station.
The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets have entered the Indian air space and will land at the IAF Air Force Station in Ambala shortly. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s office told PTI the Rafales are escorted by two Sukhoi 30 MKIs. Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria will receive the fleet at Ambala.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria will receive the fleet at Ambala. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's office said the Rafales are escorted by two Sukhoi 30 MKIs after they entered the Indian air space. The jets were also refulled mid-air from a French tanker at a height of 30,000 feet. The Rafale jets are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in over two decades, and they are expected to significantly boost the Indian Air Force's combat capabilities.
More than four years after it inked the deal to acquire Rafale jets, India will receive the first batch on Wednesday at the IAF Air Force Station in Ambala. The fighter jets entered Indian airspace at about 1:30 pm and were greeted by Indian Navy’s warship INS Kolkata, deployed in the Arabian Sea.
Rafale contingent establishes contact with Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata deployed in Western Arabian Sea.
The state-of-the-art 4.5 Generation Rafale jet can reach almost double the speed of sound, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach. With its multi-role capabilities, including electronic warfare, air defence, ground support and in-depth strikes, the Rafale lends air superiority to the Indian Air Force.
The aircraft will be inducted at Air Force Station Ambala on Wednesday, subject to weather, IAF had said on July 20. The final induction ceremony will take place in the second half of August.
The IAF aircrew and ground crew have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, including its highly advanced weapons systems, which are fully operational now. Post arrival, efforts will focus on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest, IAF had stated.
The immediate focus when they reach will be to ensure that the pilots and ground crew put their heads down and become integrated with the overall IAF operations at the earliest. Further, it is important that the ferry-in of fighters as well as move of support crew is completed safely and swiftly.
Of the ten delivered to the Air Force, five are in France for training. Pilots and support personnel of the Indian Air Force have been given complete training about the aircraft and the weapon systems by Dassault in France.
According to the Indian Embassy in France, IAF batches will continue to be trained in France for the next nine months.
The delivery of all the 36 jets is scheduled by the end of 2021.
No, the jets India has bought are a mix of single-seater and two-seater planes. The jets on their way to India are also a mix of both.
Interestingly, the twin-seater air planes have the current Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria’s initials, “RB”, as he played a significant role in negotiating the deal.
The single-seater aircraft have the initials of the last chief of Air Force, retired Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.
On their way to India from France, five Rafale jets were re-fulled mid-air from a French tanker at a height of 30,000 feet. The jets took off from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux on Monday, and will be arriving in India on Wednesday afternoon after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km. See more photos here
The five fighter aircraft, being flown by Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, will arrive here after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates. The aircraft will be officially inducted into the IAF in the second half of August.
The five Rafale fighter jets that land in Ambala on Wednesday morning will resurrect the Number 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Indian Air Force. It will take the IAF’s squadron strength to 31. When all the 36 Rafale jets are delivered by 2022, it will take it to 32 squadrons, still well below the 42 squadrons of the sanctioned strength.
The state-of-the-art 4.5 Generation Rafale jet can reach almost double the speed of sound, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach. With its multi-role capabilities, including electronic warfare, air defence, ground support and in-depth strikes, the Rafale lends air superiority to the Indian Air Force. Read more here
A day before the much-awaited arrival of five Rafale fighter aircraft from France to Ambala, a security blanket has been thrown around the Air Force Station Ambala by the police, on the request of Indian Air Force (IAF) to prevent any photography and videography of the arrival of the aircraft Wednesday. Further, Section 144 has been imposed in four villages close to the Ambala airbase.
DSP (Traffic), Ambala, Munish Sehgal told reporters that gathering of people on rooftops and photography during landing has been strictly prohibited. The five Rafale aircraft had taken off from Merignac airbase in France Monday en route to Ambala, a distance of around 7,000 km. The aircraft landed in Al Dhafra air base in UAE near Abu Dhabi the same day and are to continue their journey to Ambala Wednesday.
As the print and electronic media journalists made their way to Ambala Tuesday in preparation for the arrival of the aircraft, the latest to join the fleet of aircraft in IAF, they encountered police check posts set up hastily on approach roads to the Air Force Station. Police officials said that they had received requests from IAF authorities to stop people from coming close to the station and also to ensure that no drones were flown at the time of arrival of the Rafales.
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