President Murmu arrives in Ambala to take sortie in Rafale fighter jet

President Droupadi Murmu arrived at the Air Force Station in Ambala, Haryana, on Wednesday morning, October 29, 2025, and will fly a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet.

Rafale jets were used in Operation Sindoor, which India launched in response to the dastardly Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh was also among those present at the event.

“The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, will visit Ambala, Haryana tomorrow, where he will conduct a sortie in Rafale,” a statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, said. he said.

On April 8, 2023, Ms. Murmu, commander-in-chief of the Indian armed forces, became the third President and the second female head of state to fly a sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet at Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam.

Former presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil had flown sorties in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet at Lohegaon Air Force Station near Pune on June 8, 2006 and November 25, 2009, respectively.

The Rafale fighter jet, manufactured by French aviation giant Dassault Aviation, was officially inducted into the Indian Air Force in September 2020 at Ambala Air Force Station.

On 27 July 2020, the first five Rafale aircraft from France were deployed to the 17th Squadron, ‘Golden Arrows’.

Rafale jets were used in Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 to destroy many terrorist infrastructures in areas under Pakistan’s control. The strikes triggered four days of intense fighting and ended on 10 May with an agreement to cease military operations.