Ambala:Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the touch down of Rafale combat aircrafts in India marks the beginning of a new era in country’s Military History.
In a series of tweets, Mr Singh said, these multirole aircrafts will revolutionise the capabilities of the Indian Air Force.
The Defence Minister congratulated the Indian Air Force on a professionally executed ferry. He expressed confidence that 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, will continue to live upto their motto of “Udayam Ajasram”.
Mr Singh expressed happiness that Indian Air Force’s combat capability has got a timely boost. He said, the Rafale jets were purchased only because Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the right decision to get these aircrafts through an Inter-Governmental Agreement with France, after the long pending procurement case for them could not progress.
Mr Singh thanked him for his courage and decisiveness. He also thanked the French Government, Dassault Aviation and other French companies for ensuring the timely delivery of the aircraft and its weapons, despite the severe restrictions posed by COVID pandemic.
The Defence Minister said, this aircraft has very good flying performance and its weapons, radar and other sensors and Electronic Warfare capabilities are amongst the best in the world.
He said, its arrival in India will make the Indian Air Force much stronger to deter any threat that may be posed on our country.
Mr Singh said, the Rafale jets were purchased when they fully met the operational requirements of the IAF. He said, the baseless allegations against this procurement have already been answered and settled.
The Defence Minister added that if it is anyone who should be worried about or critical about this new capability of the Indian Air Force, it should be those who want to threaten our territorial integrity.