Droupadi Murmu becomes first President to take sortie in Rafale fighter jet | Watch

The sortie makes her the first President to fly in the Indian Air Force’s most advanced combat jet.

President Droupadi Murmu, on Wednesday, took a sortie in a Rafale fighter aircraft from the Ambala Air Force Base in Haryana.

This makes her the first President to fly in the Indian Air Force’s most advanced combat jet.

VIDEO | Air Force Station, Ambala: President Droupadi Murmu takes a sortie in Rafale fighter jet.

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

(Full video available… pic.twitter.com/DauG5jVrbK

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 29, 2025

"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… pic.twitter.com/Ud3LX8uqBU

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) October 29, 2025

President Murmu, who is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the third President and the second woman President to undertake such a sortie. Before her, former Presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil had flown in Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets from the Lohegaon Air Force Station near Pune in 2006 and 2009, respectively.

In April 2023, President Murmu had taken a sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam, during which she spent around 30 minutes airborne over the Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley with the Himalayas on one side.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, the Chief of Air Staff, was also present during the President’s sortie at the Ambala Air Force Base.

Manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, the Rafale jets were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in September 2020 at Ambala. India currently operates 36 Rafale jets, significantly boosting its air combat capabilities.

The Rafales were used in Operation Sindoor, India’s precision strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.

India is also set to induct 26 Rafale M (Marine) jets for deployment on its aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. Dassault Aviation is planning to establish a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for the M-88 engines that power the Rafales in Hyderabad, with Indian firms such as Tata Group expected to play a key role.