President Droupadi Murmu has taken off from the Ambala Air Force Base in Haryana for a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet. Five months ago, when India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam attack, Rafales from this airbase had taken off with a mission to destroy terror camps across the border, delivering New Delhi's anti-terror message.
This is the second such sortie in a fighter jet for Murmu.
The Supreme Commander of India's Armed Forces had on April 8, 2023, flown in a Sukhoi-30 MKI jet at the Tezpur Air Force Station, Assam, becoming the third president and the second woman head of state to do so.
"The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, will visit Ambala, Haryana tomorrow, where she will take a sortie in Rafale," a statement issued on Tuesday by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
Manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, Rafale fighter aircraft were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in September 2020 at the Air Force Station, Ambala.
The first five Rafale aircraft, which had arrived from France on July 27, 2020, were inducted into 17 Squadron, the 'Golden Arrows'.
The Rafale jets were used in Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 to destroy several terror infrastructures in territories controlled by Pakistan. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.
Also Read: S-400, Rafale jets fortify India's Siliguri corridor
Follow us
