The ferry of five Rafale jets was planned in two stages and was undertaken by IAF pilots. The aircraft covered a distance of nearly 8500 km from France to India. First stage of the flight covered a distance of 5800 km in seven and a half hours. French Air Force (FAF) Tanker provided dedicated Air-to-Air Refuelling support during the flight. The second stage of the flight covering over 2700 km was carried out with Air-to-Air Refuelling by IAF Tanker.
The first five Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale aircraft arrived at Air Force Station, Ambala on Wednesday. The aircraft got airborne from Dassault Aviation Facility, Merignac, France on the morning of July 27 and reached India this afternoon with a planned stopover en-route at Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE.
A formal induction ceremony of Rafale aircraft in 17 Squadron is scheduled to be held in the second half of August 2020, the Indian Air Force said.
The ferry of five Rafale jets was planned in two stages and was undertaken by IAF pilots. The aircraft covered a distance of nearly 8500 km from France to India. First stage of the flight covered a distance of 5800 km in seven and a half hours. French Air Force (FAF) Tanker provided dedicated Air-to-Air Refuelling support during the flight. The second stage of the flight covering over 2700 km was carried out with Air-to-Air Refuelling by IAF Tanker.
Here are 10 pictures of Rafale jets' journey from Merignac base to Ambala Air Force Station:
1. Rafales at Merignac, France
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Five Rafale fighter aircraft took off on Monday for India from an airbase in France to join the IAF fleet in Ambala. The fighter aircraft were flagged off by the Indian Ambassador to France from an airbase in Merignac, France where he interacted with the India crew flying it to India.
2. Rafale crew
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The crew flying five aircraft to India included seven Indian pilots with the commanding officer of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron. All the pilots have been trained on the aircraft by the French Dassault Aviation company as per the agreement signed for the biggest-ever defence deal signed by India in 2016 for acquiring 36 Rafale jets for over Rs 60,000 crore.
3. Air-to-Air refuelling by French Air Force tanker
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French Air Force (FAF) Tanker provided dedicated Air-to-Air Refuelling support during the 5800 km flight from France to UAE.
4. Mid-air refulleing over the sea
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The five Rafales were accompanied by two A330 Phoenix MRTT refuelling planes of the French Air Force.
5. Rafales enter Indian airspace
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The Indian Rafales took off from Al Dhafra in UAE at around 11 AM.
6. Rafales establish contact with Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata
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The five aircraft established contact with the Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata in the Western Arabian Sea. The audio clip of the radio contact was released by the IAF.
7. Rafale lands at IAF base
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8. Rafale at Ambala airbase
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9. Rafale at Ambala Air Force Station
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10. IAF chief welcomes Rafales
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The Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria & AOC-in-C WAC Air Marshal B Suresh welcomed the first five IAF Rafales at AF Stn Ambala
11. Rafale touchdown
The Touchdown of Rafale at Ambala. pic.twitter.com/e3OFQa1bZY
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 29, 2020
