New Delhi: The Rafale fighter aircrafts will be formally inducted in the Indian Air Force at Ambala tomorrow and will become a part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows. The first batch of 5 IAF Rafale jets arrived from France at Ambala Air Force Station on 27th July.

French Defence Minister Florence Parly will embark on an official visit to India to be part of the induction ceremony.

This will mark Parly’s third official visit to India since 2017 and one of her first official trips since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to a statement by the French Embassy in New Delhi.

The French Minister will be accompanied, among others, by top executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran, and MBDA, representing the French defence majors that have been partnering with many Indian companies as part of the Rafale agreement.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of the Armed Forces of France Florence Parly will be the Chief Guest for the event. After the ceremonial events, the Indian and French delegation will have a bilateral meeting

The two sides will hold talks over many issues including industrial and technological partnership in line with the Make in India programme; operational defence cooperation, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific; modalities of continuing the armed forces’ joint exercises in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; counter-terrorism cooperation; and major regional and international strategic issues.

At Ambala, the programme will include the ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional ‘Sarva Dharma Puja’, air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by ‘Sarang Aerobatic Team’. Afterwards, a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale aircraft, the Indian Air Force said in a separate statement.

The programme will culminate with the induction of Rafale aircraft to 17 Squadron. The Rafales are expected to give an edge to the Indian Air Force over its traditional adversaries China and Pakistan due to its long-range hit capabilities.

India had signed contract for 36 Rafale jets with French firm Dassault Aviation for a whopping sum of over Rs 60,000 crores. This was apparently the largest-ever defence deal signed by the country.