Historic flight: India President Murmu takes Rafale sortie in Ambala

Ambala: President and Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday undertook a sortie in a Rafale fighter aircraft at Ambala Air Force Station in Haryana, her second flight in a combat jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh also took to the skies in a separate Rafale during the exercise, flying in close formation with the aircraft carrying the President. The President’s aircraft was commanded by Group Captain Amit Gehani, Commanding Officer of No. 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’.

Before the sortie, President Murmu, dressed in an IAF pilot’s uniform and helmet in hand, inspected a guard of honour at the air base. She waved as she took off for the flight, which officials said symbolised confidence in the IAF’s operational readiness and its growing combat capabilities.

Rafale fighters, manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, were formally inducted into the IAF in September 2020 at Ambala and have since played a key role in strengthening India’s air power. The first five Rafale jets arrived from France on July 27, 2020, and were inducted into 17 Squadron, the ‘Golden Arrows’. They were the first imported fighters to enter IAF service in 22 years, after the Russian Sukhoi-30s in 1997.

On April 8, 2023, Murmu became the third President and second woman head of state to fly in a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet from Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam. Former Presidents A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil had earlier taken sorties in Sukhoi-30 aircraft at Pune in 2006 and 2009, respectively.

At Ambala, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh was also present during the President’s visit.