‘Unforgettable experience’: President Droupadi Murmu shares Rafale moment with pilot Pak falsely claimed it captured

The Rafale aircraft based at Ambala were in the forefront of the recently conducted airstrikes at terrorist infrastructure deep inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The same Rafale squadron also hit military installations in Pakistan in the second phase of the operation.

Arriving from New Delhi at around 9.30 am, the President was received by Air Chief Marshal A P Singh and inspected a guard of honour by the IAF. Later, President Murmu donned a G-suit and helmet as she boarded the aircraft and experienced high-speed manoeuvres and aerial demonstrations.

Group Captain Amit Gehani, the commanding officer of the IAF’s No. 17 Squadron, the ‘Golden Arrows’, was the pilot of the aircraft carrying the President. The 30-minute flight took the President over an area roughly 100 miles around Ambala, during which time she was shown various technical capabilities of the Rafale aircraft.

The President was assisted into the Rafale cockpit by Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, the first woman pilot to fly the aircraft. After the sortie, the President posed for photographs with Singh in the backdrop of the Rafale aircraft.

Singh was in the news earlier this year when Pakistan ran a disinformation campaign during Operation Sindoor, saying that her aircraft had been shot down and she had been taken prisoner. The IAF has earlier too released recent photos of Singh to debunk Pakistani claims on social media.

A native of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Shivangi was commissioned in the IAF in December 2017. She initially flew MIG-21 aircraft at an airbase in Rajasthan before converting to Rafale aircraft in 2020.

Departing around 11.30 am, the sortie highlighted the Rafale’s agility and the IAF’s operational readiness at the strategically vital Ambala base, home to one of India’s two Rafale squadrons, the No. 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’.

Another aviation milestone

Later, in the visitor’s book, the President expressed her feelings by writing a brief note in which she said, “I am delighted to visit Air Force Station Ambala for my maiden flight on Rafale aircraft of the Indian Air Force. 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.”

This achievement adds to President Murmu’s aviation milestones. In 2023, she became the first head of state to fly in a Sukhoi-30 MKI, underscoring her engagement with the military’s frontline assets. The official Rashtrapati Bhavan account celebrated the event on X, noting: “She is the first President of India to take sortie in two fighter aircrafts of the Indian Air Force.”

The sortie has been hailed as an inspiring moment, symbolising national pride and the evolving role of women in leadership, with social media buzzing about its motivational impact on aspiring aviators. As India continues to modernise its air fleet, President Murmu’s flight reaffirms the synergy between civilian oversight and military prowess.

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