New Delhi: The modern Rafale fighter jet will officially become part of the Air Force on September 10. French Defense Minister Florence Parley will be the chief guest at the ceremony at the Air Force Base in Ambala. With this, Rafale will be part of the No. 17 Squadron of the Indian Air Force, known as the ‘Golden Arrows’. Security has been beefed up around Ambala Air Base for the occasion.
The ceremony will be held at the Air Force Base in Ambala and will be attended by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, French Defense Minister Florence Parley and senior military officials. The French defense minister, who arrived just to attend the ceremony, will return this evening. On July 27, the first batch of five Rafale aircraft arrived in Ambala from France.India has signed an agreement with France to buy 36 Rafale aircraft at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore. The event will include the unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, water cannon salute, the traditional ‘Sarvadharma Pooja’, an aeronautical performance of the Rafale and Tejas aircraft, and a performance by the ‘Sarang Aerobatic Team’. After the ceremony, bilateral talks will be held between the Indian and French delegations.
The Rafale aircraft were escorted by two Sukhoi fighter jets to India. The team, led by Group Captain Harkirat Singh, an expert pilot and commanding officer, led Rafale to India. Twelve pilots have completed training from France ahead of the Rafale flights joining the Indian Army.The first aircraft on the Rafale jets was numbered RB-01 by the Air Force. Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal R.K. Baduria was the chairman of the group that reached an agreement to buy Rafale fighter jets. The two letters R and B are derived from the name of Bhadauria.It is named after him. Five aircraft will be part of Squadron 17’s Golden Arrows. India has agreed to buy 36 Rafale aircraft at a cost of Rs 60,000 crore. The flights arrived from France on July 27.
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