The five Rafale aircrafts which arrived on July 27 at Ambala Air Force Station have been inducted to the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ on Thursday.
Speaking during the ceremony, air chief marshal RKS Bhadauria, said, “The Rafale aircrafts along with the skill of the Rafale aircrafts will form a lethal combination and will challenge our adversaries.”
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “Its induction today is a big and bold message to the whole world, especially to those who are eyeing our sovereignty. This induction is especially important because of the existing situation at our borders, which if I put in simple words has been created in the last few days. We fully understand that with the changing times we will also have to keep preparing ourselves,” the Defence Minister said.
“The induction of Rafale jets into the IAF has also strengthened the Indo-French relations. We are facing new geostrategic challenges and our two democracies are working together to resolve these challenges,” he added. The Rafale jets were given a water cannon salute at the induction ceremony and earlier, Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly witnessed the ‘Sarva Dharma Puja’. The ‘ Puja’ involved recitation of hymns, ayats and mantras by priests of various religions.
