President Droupadi Murmu takes sortie in Rafale fighter jet — video

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.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting shared a live broadcast as the Rafale jet carrying Murmu took flight from the Ambala station.

‘The message is to empower women…to encourage them in the field of defence and military," as per the commentary by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s X social media handle.

Air Chief Marshal A P Singh was among others present on the occasion.

President Murmu is the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces.

Rafale jets were used during Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 dastardly Pahalgam terror attack.

A statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday said, “The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, will visit Ambala, Haryana tomorrow where she will take a sortie in Rafale.”

Murmu also took sortie in Sukhoi-30 MKI

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.

About Rafale fighter aircraft

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.