New Delhi:
The first five of a batch of French Rafale fighters on their way to the Ambala of Haryana to join the Indian Air Force fleet were greeted this morning by a naval warship in the Indian Ocean. The Rafale contingent established contact with the Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata, deployed in the Arabian Sea, shortly after takeoff from the United Arab Emirates.
“Welcome to the Indian Ocean … May you touch the sky with glory,” the warship told the Rafale commander.
#HEAR: Indian #Gust The contingent establishes contact with the Indian navy warship INS Kolkata deployed in the western Arabian Sea. pic.twitter.com/NOnzKOo2fa
– ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2020
Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also tweeted an incredible video of the incoming jets.
The five Rafale escorted by 02 SU30 MKI as they enter Indian airspace.@IAF_MCCpic.twitter.com/djpt16OqVd
– / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) July 29, 2020
The jets – which took off from Mérignac in southwestern France on Monday and refueled – made a stopover at Al-Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates. They should land in Ambala around 3 pm, after having traveled nearly 7,000 km.
Security was tightened near the air base, located about 200 km from the border with Pakistan. Ordinances banning large gatherings were in place in the city and people were advised not to go on rooftops to watch the jets.
All filming and photography is also prohibited.
