Section 144 imposed near Ambala airbase ahead of Rafale jets' arrival

Residents will not be allowed to stand on their roofs and click pictures of the landing

The first batch of five Rafale jets are scheduled to land at the Ambala air base here on Wednesday afternoon with police tightening the security around the air force station.

The squadron of Rafale jets will be stationed at the Ambala air base in Haryana.

To ensure maximum security, people of these four villages in Ambala will not be allowed to click pictures of the landing from their roofs.

The five fighter jets refuelled mid-air on their way home on Tuesday, after their pit stop at Al Dhafra, the French airbase in UAE. Indian Air Force ‘appreciated the support’ that was provided by the French Air Force in transporting the jets, reported the agency.

Also read — All you need to know about Rafale fighter jets

The highly-controversial deal to purchase the Rafale jets finally saw the light of day on Monday as the first five of them took off from Merignac airbase in France. The IAF pilots were seen off by the Indian Ambassador Jawed Ashraf.

The jets will be inducted into the IAF as part of its No 17 Squadron, also known as the 'Golden Arrows'.

The five jets are part of the 36 twin-engine aircraft purchased from Dassault Rafale at approximately Rs 59,000 crore in 2016.

The fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft.

Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders near the Ambala Air Force Station, banning shooting of videos and photography.

The Ambala district administration has also prohibited people from flying private drones within the three-km radius of the air base, officials said earlier.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said the people of Ambala are very enthusiastic about the arrival of the jets.

“This is a very proud and a historic moment for us that the Rafale jets will be stationed in Ambala Cantonment area. Rafales are IAF's 'Sikandar', which will significantly boost our combat capabilities,” he said.

He said had there not been the threat of coronavirus pandemic, thousands would have gathered in the streets to welcome the jets.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons.

European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

Of the 36 jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers.

The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.

The IAF has undertaken major infrastructure upgrades at the Ambala base for the deployment of the first Rafale squadron.

Built in 1948, the air base is located on the east side of Ambala and is used for military and government flights.

The air base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MIG-21 'Bison'. Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh was the first commander of the base.

The Mirage fighters that were used for the air strike in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack had taken off from here.

(With inputs from PTI)