Five Rafale jets will be officially inducted today into Indian Air Force at Ambala airbase in Haryana. The first batch of fighter jets arrived in India on July 29. These Rafale jets, which are manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France, will become part of the IAF’s 17 Squadron, Golden Arrows.
The jets will be inducted in the presence of the Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Defense Minister Florence Parly will be the chief guest for the event.
IAF spokesperson has described this event as one of the “very important milestones”. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, and Defense Secretary Ajay Kumar, along with top officials from the French delegation will be part of this event.
A large delegation of top French officials will be represented by Emmanuel Lenain, (Ambassador of France to India) Eric Trappier, (Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault) and Eric Beranger (CEO of missile manufacturer MBDA).
At Ambala, there will be a series of traditional ceremonies that will take place during the induction event. A traditional ‘Sarva Dharma Puja’ will be performed and a water cannon salute will be given to Rafale aircraft.
After the ceremonial events, a bilateral meeting is also scheduled for both the Indian and French delegations.