President Draupadi Murmu on Wednesday flew in Rafale fighter aircraft from the Air Force station located in Ambala, Haryana. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh also flew in a different aircraft from the same airbase. The President wore a ‘G-suit’ before boarding the Rafale aircraft.
Murmu, wearing a helmet and sunglasses, also posed for photographs with the pilot. The President waved from inside the plane before it took off at 11.27 am. The President was also given a formal ‘Guard of Honour’ upon reaching the Air Force Station this morning.
India had used Rafale fighter jets during ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22.
Murmu, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, flew a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam on April 8, 2023, becoming the third President to do so.
Former Presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil flew in Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft from Lohegaon Air Force Station near Pune on June 8, 2006 and November 25, 2009 respectively.
The Rafale fighter aircraft, manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation, was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force at Ambala Air Force Station in September 2020.
The first five Rafale aircraft were inducted into the 17th Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’. These aircraft arrived here from France on July 27, 2020.
Rafale aircraft were used in ‘Operation Sindoor’ launched on May 7 to destroy terrorist structures in areas under Pakistan control. These attacks were followed by four days of fierce military clashes, which ended on 10 May after an agreement was reached to stop military action.
Let us tell you that before this, President Draupadi Murmu has also flown in Sukhoi-3 MKI fighter plane. He took this flight on 8 April 2023 from Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam. The President also shared his experience after that flight. He had said that the efficiency and discipline of the Air Force pilots cannot be appreciated enough.