Welcoming the jets in India, defence minister Rajnath Singh said that the touch down of Rafale aircraft marks the beginning of a new era in our military history.
“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,” Singh tweeted.
While the jets will take time to be properly integrated into the war-fighting machinery, they will certainly be a force to reckon with when they are fully operational.
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.
