President Murmu Flies Rafale, Sends Bold Signal

President Droupadi Murmu’s flight in a Rafale fighter jet at Ambala Airbase on Wednesday morning was not merely a ceremonial sortie — it carried a sharp message to Pakistan. 

Posing with Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, one of India’s first women Rafale pilots, the President’s gesture symbolized strength and rebuttal.

Earlier this year, during Operation Sindoor in May — India’s military response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba that killed 26 people — Pakistan’s media and propagandists falsely claimed to have captured Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh after “downing” a Rafale jet.

The claim was quickly proven baseless by Indian authorities.

On October 29, the same Varanasi-born pilot, Shivangi Singh, guided President Murmu through the Rafale fighter at the Ambala Air Force base in Haryana, turning Pakistan’s earlier falsehood into a moment of national pride.

During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan had circulated claims of shooting down Indian aircraft and capturing soldiers as “prisoners of war.” India firmly refuted these allegations, stating that no such losses occurred.

In fact, data released by the Indian military showed Pakistan had lost six of its own aircraft, including four U.S.-made F-16s and Chinese-origin JF-17 jets.

Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, confirmed these details and led a formation sortie over Ambala on Wednesday.

President Murmu also took her first-ever Rafale sortie in a jet piloted by Group Captain Amit Gehani, while the Air Chief flew another Rafale alongside.

The aircraft took off at 11:27 a.m., soaring 15,000 feet above sea level at around 700 km/h, and completed a 30-minute, 200-kilometer circuit before returning safely to the Ambala Air Force Station.

Following the sortie, President Murmu shared her experience on X, writing,

“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 was not the President’s first time flying in a fighter aircraft — she had earlier taken a sortie in a Sukhoi Su-30MKI from Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam on April 8, 2023.

The Ambala sortie, however, carried symbolic weight — a visual reaffirmation of India’s air superiority and a subtle yet powerful counter to Pakistan’s propaganda.