Video: 5 Rafale fighter jets land in India

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India, Rafale jets, arrival
Five Rafale jets in the Indian airspace, flanked by two SU-30MKIs, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Ambala - Fighter jets were given a customary water salute upon their arrival at the airbase

By ANI

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Published: Wed 29 Jul 2020, 2:52 PM

Last updated: Wed 29 Jul 2020, 5:10 PM

The five French Rafale fighter jets touched down at Haryana's Ambala after covering a distance of nearly 7,000km to join the Indian Air Force.
The jets were given a customary water salute upon their arrival at the airbase, some 220km from the India-Pakistan border.

The formal induction ceremony of the aircraft would be held later. The aircraft would move out soon to another operational base for operational sorties.
After taking off from France on Monday, the aircraft were refuelled by the French Air Force tanker aircraft somewhere around Greece or Israel over the sea before landing there.
The five were flown by pilots of the 17 Golden Arrows led by Commanding Officer Group Captain Harkirat Singh along with other pilots, Wing Commanders MK Singh, R Kataria, Sidhu and Arun.
The five Rafale fighter aircraft took off on Monday for India from an airbase in France. The weather in Ambala was cloudy.
India had signed a Rs590 billion deal on September 23, 2016 for 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation.
In view of Rafale fighter jets landing in the city on Wednesday, Section 144 was imposed in four villages close to Ambala airbase.
Munish Sehgal, DSP Traffic, Ambala, said the administration was on a high alert and the gathering of people on roofs and photography during landing had been strictly prohibited.
The five Rafale fighter jets had entered the Indian Airspace earlier in the day.
"The Birds have entered the Indian airspace..Happy Landing in Ambala!" tweeted the Defence Minister's Office earlier on Wednesday.
The Defence Minister's Office further said that the five Rafales were escorted by two SU30 MKIs as they enter the Indian airspace.


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