Five Rafale aircraft have established contact with the Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata in the Western Arabian Sea.
The first batch of five Rafale jets will land in India, specifically at Haryana's Ambala, today (i.e. Wednesday, July 29). The jets are being flown to Ambala airbase by Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots. As India awaits the Rafale Landing, it was reported that the five aircraft have established contact with the Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata in the Western Arabian Sea.
The audio clip of the radio contact was released by news agency ANI. You can listen to the audio here. A transcript of the exchange of greetings has been provided here:
INS Kolkata Delta63: Arrow leader (flying Rafale), welcome to the Indian Ocean.
Rafale leader: Many thanks. Most reassuring to have an Indian warship guarding the seas.
INS Kolkata: May you touch the sky with glory. Happy landings!
Rafale leader: Wish you fair winds. Happy hunting! Over and out.
The Indian Rafales took off from Al Dhafra in UAE at around 11 AM IST and is expected to land in Ambala by 2 PM.
The first five Rafale fighter aircraft arriving today are 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. Harkirat Singh is also likely to be the first pilot to touchdown at the base in Ambala.
The delivery of the aircraft was earlier supposed to have been done by May end but was postponed by two months in view of the COVID-19 situation in both India and France.
The aircraft on their way from France to India were refueled by a French Air Force tanker aircraft in the air around Israel or Greece before they made a stopover in the Middle East.
India had signed a deal worth over Rs 60,000 crore with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafales to meet the emergency requirements of the IAF.
(With agency inputs)
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 "Photo via ANI")
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