President Droupadi Murmu, on Wednesday, scripted history when she undertook a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from the Air Force Station in Haryana's Ambala, becoming the first President of India to have taken a sortie in two fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The sortie in the aircraft assumes significance as Rafale jets were used in Operation Sindoor to destroy many of the terror infrastructures in Pakistan.
Her first sortie in an IAF fighter jet was in April 2023. She then flew in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station, Assam.
Before getting on to the Rafale fighter jet, President Murmu wore a G-suit and sunglasses. She posed for pictures with the pilot while holding a helmet in her hand.
The sortie lasted for nearly 30 minutes, covering about 200 kilometers before returning to the Air Force Station in Ambala.
The aircraft was flown by Group Captain Amit Gehani, Commanding Officer of the 17 Squadron. Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh also flew in a separate aircraft from the same air base.
The fighter jet flew at a height of about 15000 ft above sea level and at a speed of about 700 kilometers per hour.
The supreme commander of the Indian armed forces described her ride as an "unforgettable experience". "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," she wrote in the visiter's book after the sortie.
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.