President Droupadi Murmu to fly in LCH ‘Prachand’ at Jaisalmer to attend IAF’s ‘Vayu Shakti’ firepower display

JAISALMER: President Droupadi Murmu will undertake a sortie in the indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) ‘Prachand’ at the Jaisalmer Air Force Station on Friday morning during her visit to Rajasthan. She will remain airborne for about 25 minutes and is arriving in Jaisalmer this evening.

During the combat helicopter flight, the President will conduct an aerial survey of Jaisalmer city and surrounding areas.

This will be the first time a President flies as a co-pilot in a combat helicopter over the border airspace of Jaisalmer. After an overnight stay, she will be briefed prior to the sortie and, upon landing, will interact with officers and air warriors at the Air Force Station and participate in a photo session.

In the evening, President Murmu will travel approximately 50 km by road to the Chandan area of the Pokaran Range to attend the Indian Air Force’s largest-ever firepower demonstration, ‘Vayu Shakti,’ as the Chief Guest. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, senior military officials, and foreign defence and air attachés will also be present.

According to Air Force Deputy Chief Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, around 12,000 kg of ammunition will be expended during the exercise, with 77 fighter jets and 43 helicopters participating. The demonstration will showcase the IAF’s capability to conduct simultaneous multi-front operations.

Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shivhare said elaborate security arrangements have been made. The stretch from Chandan to Pokaran has been declared a no-fly zone, and traffic on the Jaisalmer–Jodhpur highway (Pokaran route) will be restricted from 12 noon until the event concludes. Diversions will increase travel distance by about 12 km.

Traffic diversions have been implemented due to VVIP movement and security arrangements. Special mobile police teams have been deployed to manage the diverted routes. Traffic management on the Jaisalmer side will be handled by Traffic In-charge Hukmaram, while Station House Officer Bharat Singh will oversee arrangements from the Pokaran side.

Notably, President Murmu has had a long and close association with Indian Air Force aircraft. As the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, she has personally flown in frontline fighter jets to boost the morale of the nation’s armed forces.

On 29 October 2025, she created history by flying in a Rafale aircraft of the Golden Arrows Squadron based in Ambala, becoming the first President of India to fly in two different fighter aircraft — the Rafale and the Sukhoi Su-30MKI. During the Rafale sortie, she experienced the aircraft’s capabilities at an altitude of around 15,000 feet and a speed of nearly 700 km/h.

Earlier, on 8 April 2023, President Murmu undertook a nearly 30-minute sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI from the Tezpur Air Base in Assam. Flying over the Himalayan ranges and the Brahmaputra Valley, she reviewed the aircraft’s combat capabilities and the preparedness of the Indian Air Force. She became the second woman President of India to fly in a Sukhoi fighter jet, after former President Pratibha Patil.