The first five Rafale fighter jets will be formally inducted into the IAF on Thursday at the Ambala air force station. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly are the chief guests. These jets arrived in Ambala from France on July 27.
Besides Rajnath and Florence, Chief of Defence Staff(CDS) General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) along with other senior officers of Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces will be present to mark a very important milestone in the history of the IAF.
The French delegation will be represented by French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain, Air General Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of the Air Staff of the French Air Force and other senior officials.
A large delegation of senior functionaries of French Defence Industries which includes Eric Trappier Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation and Eric Beranger, CEO, MBDA will be present during the ceremony.
The French minister will be given a ceremonial Guard of Honour on arrival at Delhi. At Ambala, the programme will include 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 programme will culminate with the ceremonial induction of Rafale aircraft to 17 Squadron. After the ceremonial events the Indian and French delegation will have a bilateral meeting, the IAF said here on Wednesday.