Ambala, July 28: In view of the landing of Rafale aircraft on Wednesday at the Air Force Station in Ambala, Section 144 has been imposed in 4 villages closer to Ambala airbase. Munish Sehgal, DSP Traffic, Ambala said that the administration is on a high alert. The official said that gathering of people on roofs and photography during landing has been strictly prohibited. The Rafale  aircraft will cover a distance of nearly 7000 kms from France to India with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop en route in the UAE.

In a big boost to India's air power, France has dispatched the first five Rafale fighter aircraft which are to arrive in New Delhi on Wednesday. The five Rafale fighter jets took off from Merignac in France on Monday for India. These five jets include three single seater and two twin seater aircraft. Rafale Jets in India Soon: First Batch of Five Rafale Jets Fly Out of France, to be Inducted Into IAF on July 29 at Ambala Airbase.

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In a statement, the embassy of India in France said that the move has enabled India to take a significant step in strengthening its air power and defence preparedness. The French embassy said this also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defence cooperation. According to reports, the delivery of ten aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for training mission. The delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021.

The first Rafale fighter was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in October 2019 in a ceremony attended by the French Minister for Armed Forces Madame Florence Parly and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 28, 2020 06:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).