When India hit terror bases in Pakistan in May, Islamabad’s narrative-spinners and media had claimed to have captured Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh. When President Droupadi Murmu flew in a Rafale fighter jet at the Ambala airbase on Wednesday morning, it wasn’t just a photo-op but carried a pointed message to Pakistan, particularly her posing with Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh.
When India hit terror bases in Pakistan in May, Islamabad’s narrative-spinners and media had claimed to have captured Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh who pilots Rafales. That had immediately turned out to be humbug. On October 29, it was the Varanasi-born Squadron Leader Singh who gave President Murmu a tour of the new Rafale multi-role fighter at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Haryana.
In May, when India launched Operation Sindoor — a military response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam by Pak-based Lashkar-e-Taiba that killed 26 people — claims from Pakistan ranged from downing Indian jets, including Rafale, and holding Indian soldiers as “prisoners of war”. The Indian military and the Narendra Modi government shot these claims down. After sending a strong message by killing a large number of terrorists, India chose to effect a truce upon Pakistan’s request, they said.
They also provided data and visuals to say that Pakistan lost six planes in fact. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said Pakistan’s losses included four US-made F-16 and China-provided JF-17 fighter jets. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh flew a Rafale fighter jet over Ambala on Wednesday, leading a formation sortie that also saw President Droupadi Murmu experience the aircraft for the first time.
On Wednesday, Air Chief Marshal Singh also piloted a separate Rafale when Supreme Commander Murmu flew in one piloted by Group Captain Amit Gehani. President Murmu waved from inside the jet before the aircraft took off at 11.27 am. The sortie lasted for approximately 30 minutes, covering about 200 kilometers before returning to the Air Force Station here. The fighter jet flew at a height of about 15,000 ft above sea level and at a speed of about 700 kilometers per hour, a statement issued by the President’s office said.
What President said
“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,” the President said as per her official account on X. Earlier, on April 8, 2023, the President flew in a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet from Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam.
