Five Rafale aircraft arrived on July 29, 2020 at Ambala Air Force Station and were formally inducted in the Indian Air Force (IAF) on September 10, 2020. These five are part of the 36 finalised in a multi-billion dollar intergovernmental deal with France by Prime Minister Modi. The three single-seat and two twin-seat omni-role fighters were flown by seven IAF pilots in a ferry from France. These are part of 17 Squadron, the “Golden Arrows”, which was resurrected on September 10, 2019. The Squadron was originally raised at Air Force Station, Ambala on October 1, 1951. It is a qualitative addition to the combat capabilities of the IAF. The ability to strike air-to-air targets from up to 150 km away and safely hit land targets 300 km within enemy territory make Rafale one of the deadliest fighter jets flying in the world, known for air-superiority and precision strikes. The state-of-the-art 4.5 Generation Rafale jet can reach almost double the speed of sound, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach. The aircraft can carry a range of potent weapons and also fly with SPECTRA - widely considered to be the world’s most advanced fighter-based electronic warfare suite.