Ambala, Oct 30: President Droupadi Murmu has flown in a Rafale fighter jet from the Ambala Air Force Base in Haryana.
Five months ago, when India launched Operation Sindhur to avenge the Pahalgam attack, Rafales took off from this air force base with a mission to destroy terrorist camps along the border, conveying New Delhi's anti-terrorism message.
President Droupadi Murmu has now flown in a Rafale for the second time. The Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces had flown in a Sukhoi-30 MKI jet at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam on April 8, 2023.
Before Murmu, former Presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil had flown the Sukhoi-30 MKI at Lohegaon near Pune.
This is the first time an Indian President has flown the Rafale, manufactured by French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation.
The Rafales were inducted into the Indian Air Force fleet at the Ambala Air Force Station in 2020. They are part of the 17th Squadron, the 'Golden Arrows'.