Cricketer MS Dhoni, also an honourary army officer, cheered the induction of Rafale jets.
Cricket World Cup-winning former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is also an honourary lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army, welcomed the induction of five Rafale jets into the Indian Air Force today saying the "potent bird's lethality will only increase" in the hands of IAF pilots.
The Rafale is the first imported fighter jet to be inducted into service since the Sukhoi-30s from Russia in the late 90s. Built by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, it are known for air-superiority and precision strikes on ground targets, making them truly multirole jets.
"World's best combat proven 4.5-generation fighter plane gets the world's best fighter pilots," Mr Dhoni tweeted from Dubai where the 39-year-old is preparing to lead his team Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League beginning on September 19.
Dhoni, who recently retired from international cricket career, also wished the "Golden Arrows" Squadron luck.
"Wishing The Glorious 17 Squadron (Golden Arrows) all the very best and for all of us hope the Rafale beats the service record of the Mirage 2000 but Su30MKI remains my fav and the boys get new target to dogfight with and wait for BVR engagement till their upgrade to Super Sukhoi," Dhoni tweeted from Dubai.
French-made multirole Rafales were inducted today into the Indian Air Force's "Golden Arrows" Squadron at the Ambala Air Force Station with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly in attendance.
The first batch of five Rafales is being inducted at a time when India is engaged in an escalating border row with China in eastern Ladakh.
"New bird in the arsenal of IAF," the Air Force had tweeted this morning.
(With PTI inputs)