President Murmu takes sortie in Rafale fighter jet from Ambala Air Force Station

In her second sortie in a combat aircraft, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, flew in a Rafale fighter from the Air Force Station, Ambala on Wednesday.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, flew alongside her in a separate aircraft.

The 40-minute sortie, with the call sign Golden Arrow One and piloted by Group Captain Amit Gehani, Commanding Officer of No.17 Squadron, was over parts of Haryana within the designated local flying area of the airbase, the oldest in India. The aircraft flew at a height of about 15,000 feet above sea level and at a speed of about 700 km per hour.

"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," the President remarked.

After the sortie, the President was presented a memento by the Air Chief which had a picture of her in flying overall and a G-suit just before getting into the aircraft.

She also posed for a picture beside the aircraft with Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, whom Pakistani social media handles had falsely claimed was captured during Operation Sindoor.

The aircraft carrying the Chief had the call sign ‘Golden Arrow Two’. Both the two-seater trainer variants were from No. 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, which was the first to induct the French-made Rafales in September 2020.

The President, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, arrived at the airbase from New Delhi this morning and was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour. She was accompanied by her family members.

President Droupadi Murmu before taking the sortie in Rafale fighter jet, at Air Force Station in Ambala. (@PresidentOfIndia via PTI Photo)

In April 2023, she had flown in a Su-30 fighter belonging to No. 106 Squadron from the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam for approximately 30 minutes over the Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley.

Murmu is the third President, and second woman President, to fly in an IAF combat jet. Dr APJ. Abdul Kalam had flown in a Su-30 from Pune in June 2006, while Pratibha Patil had also flown in a Su-30 from Pune in November 2009.

In November 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flown in an indigenous Tejas fighter from Bengaluru, becoming the first Prime Minister to fly in a fighter.

Several other political leaders, including the present and past defence ministers have also undertaken sorties in fighter aircraft.

In 2003, the then Defence Minister George Fernandes had flown from the Ambala air-base in a two-seater MiG-21, which were finally decommissioned in September 2025 after serving for 62 years, in an effort aimed at restoring faith in the Soviet-origin jets after a spate of crashes.

The IAF has two squadrons of Rafale, the other, No. 101 Squadron being based at Hasimara in the northeast. The IAF is in the process of procuring additional Rafale aircraft.

These aircraft, along with other platforms, were used in Operation Sindoor to carry out precision strikes on Pakistani sites.

A corner in the Ambala Air Force Station's museum is dedicated to this operation, where pictures and some general details have been put up.