President poses with IAF pilot Pakistan claimed to have captured
What's the story
President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday took a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from the Ambala Air Force Station in Haryana. The sortie was historic, as it made Murmu the first Indian President to fly in two different types of fighter aircraft. She had previously flown a Sukhoi-30 MKI in April 2023. After this sortie, she posed for a photograph alongside Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, a woman Rafale pilot, who Pakistan claimed to have captured during Operation Sindoor.
False claims
Pakistan claimed India lost fighter jets during Operation Sindoor
During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan propagated several falsehoods, including the claim that India lost multiple fighter jets and that Singh was caught near Sialkot after ejecting from her aircraft. A doctored video also circulated, showing IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh claiming Shivangi was missing. The government had debunked these claims with PIB Fact Check calling the video "baseless and fabricated."
Claims
Videos were unrelated
It turned out that the videos had nothing to do with each other. The actual video showed Air Chief Marshal visiting the family of Sergeant Surendra Kumar, who died during Op Sindoor. The Air Force also confirmed that Singh was alive and doing her operational duties. According to reports, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was involved in a dogfight during the India-Pakistan standoff in 2019, was her flight instructor. Abhinandan was captured by Pakistan but was released after 60 hours.
Career milestone
From MiG-21 to Rafale: Singh's journey as a fighter pilot
Singh, who joined the Indian Air Force in 2017, was part of its second batch of women fighter pilots. She initially flew the MiG-21 Bison before qualifying for the Rafale in 2020. Singh was recently awarded her Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) badge by Air Marshal Tejbir Singh at the Flying Instructors School in Tamil Nadu's Tambaram. She has also represented India in international exercises such as "Orion 2023" in France.
Flight details
President Murmu's historic sortie in Rafale
The sortie on Wednesday lasted around 30 minutes, covered nearly 200km and reached an altitude of 15,000 feet at a speed of about 700km/h. Group Captain Amit Gehani piloted the aircraft. After the flight, President Murmu wrote in the visitor's book at Ambala Air Force Station, "The sortie on Rafale is an unforgettable experience for me."