Indian Defense Minister Rajnat Singh said the new combat aircraft are a “strong signal” for potential adversaries of India. Earlier this week, shots were fired at India’s disputed border with China for the first time in 45 years.
India spent $ 9.4 billion (£ 7.3 billion) buying 36 French Rafale combat aircraft.
The first five officially entered the service during a ceremony at Ambala, located near India’s border with China.
A photograph from the scene shows Indian military personnel parading in front of fighters.
Mr Singh took to Twitter to greet the warplanes and praise India’s relationship with France.
He said: “The inauguration of Rafale is a strong signal to the whole world and especially to those who challenge India’s sovereignty.
“Our country will not take any steps to disturb the peace anywhere. We expect the same from our neighbors. “
He later added: “India and France have a lot in common as the two great democracies of the world.
“We look forward to further strengthening our bilateral relations.”
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Relations between Beijing and Delhi have plummeted in recent months with a series of confrontations along the disputed country’s border.
In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with their Chinese counterparts in the Galwan Valley.
Since firearms were prohibited near the border, both sides fought with metal rods, batons wrapped in barbed wire, and stones.
Many of the dead Indian military personnel drowned or died from radiation exposure after being injured.
Chinese troops also suffered casualties, although the exact number was not disclosed.
In response to the deadly clash, India has banned a number of Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, from their networks.
In late 1962, India and China fought a short war on the contested border that killed at least 2,000 people.
India is currently in the process of modernizing its $ 130 billion (£ 101.5 billion) army.
In addition to combat aviation, it buys missile defense systems from Russia, and attack helicopters from the United States.
Manoj Joshi of the Observer Research Foundation in India welcomed the new planes, but warned that they would not be enough.
He commented, “If you are from China, you don’t get serious about a few Rafales.
“A handful of planes cannot crush a military power like China.”
