India will receive the first batch five Rafale fighters on Wednesday afternoon at the IAF Air Force Station in Ambala. They are expected to take off from Al Dhafra airbase in UAE and are expected to reach Ambala, their home base at about 2 pm. The aircraft will be officially inducted into the IAF in the second half of August. It will be inducted as a part IAF's No. 17 squadron, also known as the "Golden Arrows", and will be stationed at the Ambala air base, which has been upgraded for the purpose.

Section 144 has been imposed in four villages close to the Ambala airbase, ahead of the much awaited arrival of the jets, even Jodhpur has been kept on standby in case weather conditions in Ambala worsens. Shooting of videos and photography has been banned. The Ambala district administration has also prohibited people from fying private drones within the three-km radius of the air base. 

Known as the 4.5 generation aircraft, the Rafale is considered to be one of the finest fighters in the world and is described as an ‘omnirole’ aircraft that can take up several missions on a single flight.The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. 

India had bought 36 twin-engine fighter planes from Dassault Rafale, through an inter-governmental agreement signed in 2016. out of the 36 jets 30 will fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and will have almost all the features of fighter jets.