President Droupadi Murmu takes historic Rafale Jet sortie from Ambala Air Force Station

PTC Web Desk:  President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday undertook a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from the Air Force Station in Ambala, Haryana, marking a proud moment for the nation. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh also flew in a separate aircraft from the same base.

Before boarding the Rafale, the President donned a G-suit and was seen holding a helmet and wearing sunglasses, posing for photographs with the pilot. At around 11.27 am, President Murmu waved from inside the cockpit just before takeoff. Upon her arrival earlier in the morning, she was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour by the Indian Air Force personnel.

The Rafale jets, manufactured by French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation, were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in September 2020 at the same Ambala base. The first five Rafales, which arrived from France on July 27, 2020, were inducted into the 17 Squadron, famously known as the ‘Golden Arrows’.

The Rafale aircraft have been actively deployed in recent military operations. Notably, they played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor, which India launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The operation, initiated on May 7, targeted terror infrastructures across territories controlled by Pakistan and continued for four days until May 10, when both sides agreed to halt military actions.

This was not President Murmu’s first experience aboard a fighter jet. In April 2023, she had undertaken a sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft from the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam. The President, as the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces, follows in the footsteps of former Presidents Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil, who had both undertaken Sukhoi-30 MKI sorties from Lohegaon Air Force Station near Pune on June 8, 2006, and November 25, 2009, respectively.