President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday undertook a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet at the Indian Air Force’s Ambala base, accompanied by Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, the force’s only woman Rafale pilot.
The 30-minute flight, which reached speeds of about 700 km/h and an altitude of nearly 15,000 feet, marked the President’s second experience aboard a combat aircraft after her Sukhoi-30MKI sortie in 2023. After the flight, Murmu described the experience as unforgettable and praised the professionalism of the Indian Air Force, saying it reflected the nation’s advancing air power and the skill of its personnel.
The sortie also carried symbolic weight. Earlier this year, false claims had circulated on Pakistan’s propaganda networks during Operation Sindoor, alleging that Rafale pilot Shivangi Singh had been shot down and captured. Although the Indian government promptly denied the reports, the misinformation persisted online.
A photograph released on Tuesday, showing President Murmu standing beside Squadron Leader Singh in full flight gear, has since been viewed as a strong rebuttal to those rumours.
Commissioned in 2017, Singh hails from Varanasi and is part of the second batch of women fighter pilots in the IAF. She initially flew the MiG-21 Bison before joining the Ambala-based Rafale squadron in 2020.
As the sound of Rafale roared across the skys Ambala, the flight stood as a clear reflection of India’s growing defence capability, gender progress in the armed forces, and enduring national pride.
The President’s sortie was conducted as part of a familiarisation programme with frontline defence systems. Indeed it was a matter of absolute pride for every Indian to see women leading in the skies.
