Ambala: President Droupadi Murmu undertook a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from the Air Force Station in Haryana's Ambala on Wednesday, which she described as an "unforgettable experience". Air Chief Marshal A P Singh also flew in a separate aircraft from the same air base. Murmu is the first President of India to have taken sortie in two fighter aircrafts of the Indian Air Force. In April 2023, Murmu, the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces had undertaken a sortie in Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station, Assam. Before getting on to the Rafale jet, the President wore a G-suit and sun glasses. She posed for pictures with the pilot while holding a helmet in her hand. President Murmu waved from inside the jet before the aircraft took off at 11.27 am. The sortie lasted for approximately 30 minutes, covering about 200 kilometers before returning to the Air Force Station here.
The aircraft was flown by Group Captain Amit Gehani, Commanding Officer of the 17 Squadron, a statement issued by the President's office said. The fighter jet flew at a height of about 15,000 ft above sea level and at a speed of about 700 kilometers per hour, it said. Upon her arrival at the air base here in the morning, President Murmu was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour. Later in the visitor’s book, the President expressed her feelings by writing a brief note in which she said: "I am delighted to visit Air Force Station Ambala for my maiden flight on Rafale aircraft of the Indian Air Force". "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," Murmu said. The President was also briefed on the operational capabilities of Rafale and the Indian Air Force. 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. 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 in 17 Squadron, the 'Golden Arrows'. The Rafale jets were used in 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 that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.