President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday took a 30-minute sortie in a Rafale fighter jet, moments after she arrived at the Air Force Station in Haryana’s Ambala.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who was among others present on the occasion, also flew in a separate aircraft from the same airbase.
Later, she shared glimpses of her sortie on her official X handle, terming the flight as “an unforgettable experience", adding that it instilled in her a “renewed sense of pride".
“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," President Murmu wrote.
“I congratulate the Indian Air Force and the entire team of Air Force Station, Ambala for organising this sortie successfully", her post read.
Before her flight, a video showed President Murmu boarding the Rafale fighter jet wearing a G-suit.
Prior to the sortie, the President was seen standing near the Rafale jet, holding a helmet in her hand and wearing sunglasses, as she posed for pictures with the pilot.
Shortly before the aircraft took off at 11.27 am, the President waved from inside the jet.
The President was also accorded a ceremonial guard of honour as she arrived at the Air Force Station this morning.
Upon the completion of the sortie, President Murmu was seen deboarding the aircraft.
Before President Murmu, former presidents APJ 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.
On April 8, 2023, Murmu, the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces, became the third President and second woman head of state to take a sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station, Assam.
The Rafale jets were used in India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, which was launched on May 7 to destroy several terror infrastructures in territories controlled by Pakistan.
The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes between India and Pakistan, which ended on May 10 with an understanding between the two countries on stopping the military actions.
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.
The first five Rafale aircraft, which had arrived from France on July 27, 2020, were inducted into 17 Squadron, the ‘Golden Arrows’.
Earlier today, the Press India Bureau’s fact-check department had called out Pakistani handles for circulating a digitally altered video of President Murmu, wherein she could be heard claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using her as a prop to elevate Rafale PR.
“The President of India has not made any such statement," the fact-check department of the PIB stated.
Source: News18