President Droupadi Murmu took a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from the Air Force Station in Haryana’s Ambala on Wednesday, describing it as an “unforgettable” experience.

Murmu is the first President of India to fly in two different fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force. She had undertaken a sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI from Tezpur in Assam in April 2023.

Donning a G-suit and sporting sunglasses, Murmu was seen posing for pictures before the jet, flown by Group Captain Amit Gehani, commanding officer of the 17 Squadron, took off at 11.27am.

“The President, who is the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces, flew for approximately 30 minutes covering about 200km before returning to the Air Force Station.... The aircraft flew at a height of about 15,000 feet above sea level and at a speed of about 700km per hour,” said a statement from the President’s secretariat.

“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,” Murmu wrote in the visitor’s book upon landing.

Before the flight, Murmu was pictured with Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, the country’s first woman Rafale fighter jet pilot.

Singh was claimed to have been captured during Operation Sindoor by a pro-Pakistan social media handle.

The Press Information Bureau Fact Check had confirmed the claim was fake.

Manufactured by Dassault Aviation, Rafale jets were formally inducted into the IAF's 17 Squadron in September 2020 at the Ambala Air Force Station.