10 Indian Leaders Who Made History Flying in Fighter Jets: From Abdul Kalam to Droupadi Murmu

Indian Leaders Who Flew In Fighter Jets: From APJ Abdul Kalam To Droupadi Murmu

A sortie, defined as a single operational flight by a military aircraft, has become a tradition for several Indian leaders demonstrating solidarity with the armed forces.

President Droupadi Murmu recently made history by flying in a Rafale fighter jet at Ambala Air Force Base, becoming the first Indian head of state to experience the IAF's most advanced multirole combat aircraft. These same Rafale jets had participated in Operation Sindoor, India's precision strike against terror targets in Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack.

Over the years, numerous Indian leaders have taken to the skies to personally witness the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force.

President Droupadi Murmu has actually flown twice in fighter jets. In April 2023, she flew in a Sukhoi-30MKI from Tezpur, Assam, becoming the second woman head of state to experience such a flight. Two years later came her historic Rafale sortie.

President Pratibha Patil broke barriers in 2009 when she flew in a Su-30 MKI from the Pune IAF base. At 74 years old, she became India's first woman head of state to undertake such a flight, spending approximately 30 minutes airborne.

The tradition began with President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006. The first Indian head of state to fly a fighter jet, Kalam spent around 40 minutes in a Su-30 MKI despite being 74. He later revealed that he became a scientist only because his dream of becoming a pilot remained unfulfilled.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined this elite list in 2023 when he flew in an indigenously developed Tejas light combat aircraft in Bengaluru. Following the experience, he expressed that the sortie gave him "a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential."

Among cabinet ministers, Rajnath Singh made history in 2019 as the first defense minister to fly in the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, describing the experience as "thrilling."

In 2018, then-defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman undertook a 30-minute sortie in a Su-30 MKI fighter jet from Jodhpur air base. Wearing a G-suit and seated behind the pilot, she became the first woman defense minister to experience such a flight, later describing it as "eye-opening" regarding operational readiness.

Kiren Rijiju, while serving as Minister of State for Home Affairs in 2016, flew in a Su-30 MKI from Air Force Station Halwara in Punjab for approximately 30 minutes.

Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh flew a Su-30 MKI from Hindon Air Base near Delhi in 2015.

BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy, notably a trained pilot himself, flew a Su-30 MKI during the Aero India show in Bengaluru in 2015.

In 2003, Defense Minister George Fernandes, at the age of 73, flew a Su-30 MKI from Lohegaon Air Force Station near Pune, demonstrating that age is no barrier to experiencing India's military aviation prowess.