President Murmu to take historic Rafale flight from Ambala Air Force Station

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, is scheduled to undertake a sortie in a Rafale fighter aircraft – Indian Air Force’s (IAF) newest combat platform, from Ambala Air Force Station on October 29.

The President, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces will fly in a two-seater variant of the French-made aircraft with a hand-picked senior pilot at the controls. A briefing on the operational characteristics of the aircraft is also expected.

The Rafale was inducted into IAF in September 2020 with No.17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, at Ambala, which also happens to be IAF’s oldest airbase. IAF has two squadrons of this 4.5 generation fighter, which were reportedly employed during Operation Sindoor in May this year, the other being No.101 Squadron, the Falcons, based at Hasimara in the north-east.

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 Rafale sortie would be the President’s second sortie in a combat aircraft. In April 2023, she had flown in a Su-30 fighter belonging to No.106 Squadron from Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam for approximately 30 minutes over the Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley.

The aircraft, piloted by the squadron’s commanding officer, Group Captain Naveen Kumar, aircraft had flown at an altitude of about 6,000-7,000 ft above sea level and at a speed of about 800 km per hour.

Later in the visitor’s book, the President had written, “It was an exhilarating experience for me to fly in the mighty Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force. It is a matter of pride that India’s defence capabilities have expanded immensely to cover all the frontiers of land, air and sea. I congratulate the Indian Air Force and the entire team of Air Force Station Tezpur for organising this sortie.”

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. Also flew in a Su-30 from Pune in November 2009. Several other political leaders, including the present and past defence ministers have also undertaken sorties in fighter aircraft.

In November 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew in an indigenously developed Tejas aircrfat from Bengaluru, becoming the first prime minister to fly in a fighter jet.