President Droupadi Murmu took a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet on Wednesday (October 29). She arrived at Air Force Station in Haryana’s Ambala on Wednesday morning to fly the fighter aircraft.
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh also flew in a separate aircraft from the same air base.
The President was also accorded a ceremonial guard of honour after she arrived at the Air Force Station this morning. Murmu, who was holding a helmet in her hand and wearing sunglasses, also posed for pictures with the pilot.
Murmu is the first President of India to have taken sortie in two fighter aircrafts of the Indian Air Force. President Murmu is the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces.
“The sortie on Rafale is an unforgettable experience for me. This first flight on the potent Rafale aircraft has instilled in me a renewed sense of pride in the nation’s defence capabilities. I congratulate the Indian Air Force and the entire team of Air Force Station, Ambala for organising this sortie successfully,” the President wrote in a post on X.
Rafale jets were used during Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 dastardly Pahalgam terror attack.
On April 8, 2023, Murmu became the third President and second woman head of the state to take a sortie in Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station, Assam.
Former presidents A P J Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil had undertaken sorties in Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Air Force Station, Lohegaon near Pune on June 8, 2006 and November 25, 2009, respectively.
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Manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, Rafale fighter aircraft were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in September 2020 at the Air Force Station, Ambala.
