New Delhi, September 10: The Rafale Aircraft on Thursday formally inducted by the Indian Air Force into the 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ at the Air Force Station in Ambala. The induction was done in the presence of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly through an electronic medium.

In the induction ceremony, both Rafale and Tejas aircrafts participated in an Air Display following which the Rafale aircraft received a water cannon salute. The ceremonial unveiling of the aircraft was also accompanied by the traditional ‘Sarva Dharma Puja’. Rafale Induction Ceremony: French Defence Minister Florence Parly to Visit India on September 10.

Here are some images and videos of Rafale Jets induction:

The event was attended by the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO along with other senior officers.

Apart from the Indian side, French ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain and France’s air general Eric Autellet participated in the induction ceremony. Also, Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier and CEO of missile maker MBDA Eric Beranger participated in the event.

The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29. The second batch of four-five Rafale jets is likely to arrive in India by November this year. As per the government's plan, out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighters and six will be trainers. Though the first squadron of the Rafale jets has been stationed at Ambala airbase, the second will be based at Hasimara in West Bengal.

It is to be known that Rafales are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons, including MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile. It will also be equipped with an S400 air defence system. Each Rafale has a range of 780-1055 km against 400-550 km of Su30MKI and can perform 5 sorties in 24 hours.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2020 11:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).