India’s President Poses with Rafale Pilot, Debunking Pakistani Claims
President Droupadi Murmu’s recent Rafale fighter jet sortie at the Ambala Air Force base included a photograph with Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, India’s first and only woman Rafale pilot. This was done to debunk false claims made by Pakistan that Singh was captured after her Rafale was supposedly shot down during Operation Sindoor, where she flew the aircraft. Singh, who earned her Qualified Flying Instructor badge, joined the Air Force in 2017 and previously flew the MiG-21 Bison. President Murmu’s flight makes her the first Indian President to have flown in two fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force, making the experience ‘unforgettable’.
John Q. Hosedrinker