IAF to induct Rafale aircraft into 17 squadron 'Golden Arrows': Here's the event schedule

The formal induction ceremony of the Rafale fighter jets will take place at the Ambala Air Force Station on September 10, Thursday. The five Rafale jets, three single-seat and two twin-seater trainers, landed at the Ambala airbase on July 29 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.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and French Defence Minister Florence Parly will attend the induction ceremony. An official source confirmed that the next batch of 4 Rafale jets is expected to arrive in India in October.

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Schedule for Rafale induction ceremony 

As informed by the official sources, the main entry for the Rafale induction ceremony at IAF Ambala will begin at 8 am. The ceremony will take place at around 10 am to 11:45 am followed by a press brief by Rajnath Singh between 12 pm to 1 pm. The Rafale induction ceremony will be attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy. Senior officers of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces will also be present at the induction ceremony. 

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Here's what you should know about the Rafale Jet

The 5 Rafale fighters are fully operational, with the first 18 jets to be stationed in Ambala and the next 18 fighters to be based in the Hashimara airbase near the Bhutan border once the complement is completed. These Rafales are equipped with programmable signal processors (PSP) and also has the capacity to change signal frequencies in times of conflict.

READ | IAF To Formally Induct Rafale Jet On Sept 10; Rajnath Singh, French Def Min To Be Present

The Rafale jet will be able to use terrain in Tibet to its advantage, destroy enemy air defence and incapacitate the surface-to-air missiles, former IAF Chief BS Dhanoa had said. In case of beyond visual range combat, Rafale is superior to China's much-touted but untested F-35 knockoff J-20 jet, he said adding that the Rafales will play a key role in Tibet for information dominance.

Rafale is powered by two SNECMA M88 engines, which helps it attain a range of more than 3,700 km. Having a top speed of 2223 km, it is equipped with laser-guided bombs weighing 900 kg. 2500 rounds per minute can be fired from its internal cannon. Rafale is considered as a 4.5 generation aircraft and will now lead the IAF's fighter jets. Also, Rafale maintenance time per flight hour is 2.25 hours against 6-8 hrs for other fighters.  

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