The first five Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale aircraft arrived at Air Force Station, Ambala, on Wednesday. The aircraft got airborne from Dassault Aviation Facility, Merignac, France, on the morning of 27 July with a planned stopover en-route at the 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 8,500 km from France to India. The first stage of the flight covered a distance of 5,800 km in seven-and-a-half hours. The French Air Force (FAF) tanker provided dedicated air-to-air refuelling support during the flight. The second stage of the flight covering over 2,700 km was carried out with air-to-air refuelling by the IAF tanker. The tanker support extended by the French Air Force during the ferry was crucial in ensuring that the long-haul flight was accomplished successfully and in a time-bound manner.
The aircraft will be a part of 17 Squadron, the “Golden Arrows”, which was resurrected on 10 Sep 2019. The Squadron was originally raised at Air Force Station, Ambala on 1 October 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. Details of the ceremony will be announced later.
As the first batch of five Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) Rafale jets landed in the Ambala air base on Wednesday, Defence Rajnath Singh in a series of tweets welcomed these by saying, “The Birds have entered the Indian airspace… Happy Landing in Ambala!” Rajnath Singh congratulated the Indian Air Force (IAF) on professionally executed ferry and said, “I am sure that 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, will continue to live upto their motto of ‘Udayam Ajasram’. I am extremely happy that IAF’s combat capability has got a timely boost.”
“The touchdown of Rafale combat aircraft in India marks the beginning of a new era in our military history. These multirole aircraft will revolutionise the capabilities of the IAF,” he added in another tweet.
Highlighting the capabilities of the aircraft, Rajnath Singh said, “This aircraft has very good flying performance and its weapons, radar and other sensors and electronic warfare capabilities are amongst the best in the world. Its arrival in India will make the IAF much stronger to deter any threat that may be posed on our country.” The Defence Minister also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his right decision. “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.”
He thanked 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 Covid-19. Rajnath Singh added: “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 added, “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 Singh shared pictures and videos of the aircraft entering Indian air space. Earlier, Captain of the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kolkata welcomed Rafale Arrow Leader in the Indian Ocean by saying, “May you touch the sky with glory.” The five Rafale aircraft escorted by two SU30 MKIs as they entered Indian airspace.