Manas Dasgupta
AMBALA (PUNJAB), Sep 10: In a clear warning to India’s close neighbours, the defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the induction of the first batch of the five Rafale fighter aircrafts in the Indian Air Force was a “big and stern message” to those “eying our sovereignty.”
Calling it a “historic day,” Singh said induction of the Rafale jets in the IAF was very important considering the “atmosphere being created along the borders,” while his French counterpart Florence Parly said “India will have an edge over its rivals in terms of security with the induction of these jets,” and added that its induction would also give a boost to the Make in India initiative.”
The France-manufactured five Rafale jets which had arrived at Ambala on July 27 were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force’s 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ at a ceremonial function at the Ambala Air Force Station on Thursday. Singh presented an induction scroll to Group Captain Harkeerat Singh, the Commanding Officer of the 17 Squadron of the ‘Golden Arrows’ of the IAF o formally complete the induction ceremony.
“In my recent foreign trip, I put India’s point of view in front of the world. I also made everyone aware of our resolve to not compromise our sovereignty and territorial integrity under any circumstances. We’re committed to doing everything possible towards this,” the defence minister said.
Complementing the IAF over its deployment during the current standoff in Ladakh, Singh said, “The speed at which IAF deployed its assets at forward bases creates confidence that our Air Force is fully prepared to fulfill its operational obligations.”
Singh said India was not aiming to strengthen its defence capabilities to harm the peace anywhere but it had always been motivated by the desire for world peace. “Our country will not take any such step which can disturb the peace anywhere. We expect the same from our neighbours, and the rest of the world,” he said. He emphasised that India’s responsibilities were not just restricted to its borders, but “we play a responsible role in the entire Indo-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region.”
The French Defence Minister described the occasion as a reiteration of the “time-tested age-old friendship” between India and France. Parly said, “The India-France friendship is rock solid and is time-tested. It is based on commonality and trust… Today I warmly congratulate all the people on both sides who put in their heart and soul into making the induction ceremony possible,”. The French defence minister said Make in India has been a reality for French industries for several years, particularly for defence equipment. “But this is not only military or industrial project. There is a bubble of friendship,” she said.
Stating that the Rafale jets were combat-proven which had helped France to undertake counter-terrorism measures, the French defence minister stressed that her country also strongly supported India’s candidacy at the United Nations Security Council.
Speaking on the occasion, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said the jets were “good to go and deliver”. “Golden Arrows are singularly blessed to be equipped with Rafale. Squadron had undergone intense integrated training with aircraft of other fleets. They are good to go and deliver,” said the air chief.
Bhadauria said the induction could not have happened at a more opportune time considering the present security scenario. “Induction of Rafale in Ambala important as fleet can rapidly access all areas of interest from the airbase.” he added. The air chief marshal also lauded the Centre for strengthening the Indian Air Force fleet with the Rafale jets.
Welcoming the jets, the Air Force tweeted, “New bird in the arsenal of IAF.” Also present at the event were Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar.
The induction ceremony included an all religion prayer meeting and the traditional welcome accorded to the aircraft through a water cannon salute. An air display was also performed by the Rafale aircraft as well as Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. The Sarang Helicopter Display team also put up an airshow.
Apart from Parly, the French delegation included France’s ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain, Air General Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of Air Staff of the French Air Force, among other senior officials, and Eric Trappier, the chief executive of Dassault Aviation, the French company that manufactures Rafale.
The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 27, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The next batch of the jets is likely to arrive in October, and the last of the 36 aircraft will come to India by the end of 2021.
The state-of-the-art 4.5 Generation Rafale jet can reach almost double the speed of sound, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach. With its multi-role capabilities, including electronic warfare, air defence, ground support and in-depth strikes, the Rafale lends air superiority to the Indian Air Force.
India’s last major acquisition of fighter planes was 23 years ago, when the Sukhois were imported from Russia. The IAF is down to 31 fighter squadrons against the authorised strength of at least 42.