Watch: Five Rafale fighter jets land at Ambala airbase, given ceremonial water salute

The five French Rafale fighter jets touched down at Ambala airbase in Haryana after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km to join the Indian Air Force.

The jets were given a customary water salute upon their arrival at the airbase, some 220-km from the India-Pakistan border. The formal induction ceremony of the aircraft would be held later. The aircraft would move out soon to another operational base for operational sorties.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier informed that the five Rafale fighter jets from France safely landed at the Indian Air Force base in Ambala.

Ceremonial Water salute to #RafaleJets at Ambala, India pic.twitter.com/hjA7lwaCZ2

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) July 29, 2020

"The Birds have landed safely in Ambala. The touch down of Rafale combat aircraft in India marks the beginning of a new era in our Military History. These multirole aircraft will revolutionise the capabilities of the IAF," he said in a tweet. 

Rajnath also shared a video of the touchdown of the first jet at the airbase.

The last foreign fighters inducted into the Air Force were the Sukhoi-30s from Russia which have now become the mainstay of the Air Force after multiple orders in view of delays in placing orders for new western aircraft.

The Touchdown of Rafale at Ambala. pic.twitter.com/e3OFQa1bZY

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 29, 2020

After taking off from France on Monday, the aircraft made their first stopover at a French base in the United Arab Emirates on their way to India and were refuelled by the French Air Force tanker aircraft somewhere around Greece or Israel over the sea before landing there.

The five were 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. The five Rafale fighter aircraft took off on Monday for India from an airbase in France. The weather in Ambala was cloudy with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers being forecast.

India had signed a Rs 59,000-crore deal on September 23, 2016 for 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation.In view of Rafale fighter jets landing in the city on Wednesday, Section 144 is being imposed in four villages close to Ambala airbase. Munish Sehgal, DSP Traffic, Ambala, said the administration is on a high alert and the gathering of people on roofs and photography during landing has been strictly prohibited.

(With ANI inputs)