Rajnath Singh: Those who want to threaten our territorial integrity

After five Rafale fighter jets touched down at Haryanas Ambala on Wednesday Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said those who want to threaten countrys territorial integrity should be worried about new capability of the Indian Air Force IAFThe Rafale jets were purchased only because PM Shri narendramodi took the right decision to get these aircrafts through an InterGovernmental Agreement with France after the long pending procurement case for them could not progress I thank him for his courage amp decisivenessmdash Rajnath Singh rajnathsingh July 29 2020I would like to add 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 integritymdash Rajnath Singh rajnathsingh July 29 2020The minister said the Rafale jets were purchased only because Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the right decision to get these aircraft through an InterGovernmental Agreement with France after the longpending procurement case for them could not progressThe Rafale jets were purchased only because PM Shri Narendra Modi took the right decision to get these aircraft through an InterGovernmental Agreement with France after the longpending procurement case for them could not progress I thank him for his courage amp decisiveness Singh tweetedSingh said all allegations against the procurement of these jets have already been answered and settledThe Rafale jets were purchased when they fully met the operational requirements of the IAF The baseless allegations against this procurement have already been answered and settled he tweetedI would like to add 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 he said in another tweetThis aircraft has very good flying performance and its weapons radar and other sensors and Electronic Warfare capabilities are amongst the best in the world Its arrival in India will make the IAF much stronger to deter any threat that may be posed on our country he saidThe minister also congratulated the IAF for the professionally executed ferry and thanked the French Government Dassault Aviation and other French companies for ensuring the timely delivery of the aircraft and its weapons despite severe restrictions posed by COVID19 pandemicI congratulate the IAF on a professionally executed ferry I am sure that 17 Squadron the Golden Arrows will continue to live upto their motto of Udayam Ajasram I am extremely happy that IAFs combat capability has got a timely boost Singh tweetedI also thank 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 he saidWater salute was given to the five Rafale fighter aircraft after their landing at IAF airbase in Ambala after jets covered a distance of nearly 7000 km journeyThe formal induction ceremony of the aircraft would be held later The aircraft would move out soon to another operational base for operational sortiesAfter taking off from France on Monday the aircraft made their first stopover at a French base in the United Arab Emirates on their way to India and were refuelled by the French Air Force tanker aircraft somewhere around Greece or Israel over the sea before landing thereThe five were flown by pilots of the 17 Golden Arrows led by Commanding Officer Group Captain Harkirat Singh along with other pilots Wing Commanders MK Singh R Kataria Sidhu and ArunThe five Rafale fighter aircraft took off on Monday for India from an airbase in France The weather in Ambala was cloudy with one or two spells of rain or thundershowersIndia had signed a Rs 59000crore deal on September 23 2016 for 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault AviationCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever