President Droupadi Murmu flies Light Combat Helicopter Prachand near India-Pakistan border

Flying over Pokharan range, President Murmu hailed Prachand as a symbol of India’s defence self-reliance

February 27, 2026

President Murmu became the first Indian president to fly in an attack helicopter as she took a co-pilot sortie in Prachand ahead of Vayu Shakti

Murmu undertakes 25-minute sortie in LCH Prachand in Jaisalmer

Dressed in an olive-green flying suit and helmet, President Droupadi Murmu on Friday undertook a 25-minute sortie as co-pilot in the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand near the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district.

According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the helicopter took off from the Jaisalmer Air Force Station after the president received a briefing from the captain. She waved from the cockpit before departure.

During the flight, Murmu — the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces — addressed the nation from inside the cockpit.

“The Prachand helicopter is a powerful symbol of self-reliance. At this moment, I am flying over the Jaisalmer district. I extend my heartfelt greetings and deepest gratitude to our brave soldiers. A warm salute to you. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat,” she said.

The helicopter flew over the Pokharan firing range, where the IAF is scheduled to hold its firepower demonstration, ‘Vayu Shakti’, on Friday evening. The president is set to witness the day-to-dusk-to-night demonstration.

Earlier in the day, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh received the president at the air force station.

With this sortie, Murmu became the first Indian president to fly in an attack helicopter, marking another milestone in her engagements with frontline military platforms. In October last year, she flew in a Rafale fighter aircraft at the Air Force Station in Ambala, becoming the first Indian president to have flown in two different fighter aircraft of the IAF.

In April 2023, she had undertaken a 30-minute sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam, flying over the Brahmaputra and the Tezpur valley with a view of the Himalayas.

The LCH Prachand is India’s first indigenously designed and developed combat helicopter, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Equipped with advanced avionics, stealth features, night-attack capabilities and a wide range of weapons — including air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles, rockets and a 20 mm gun — the LCH significantly enhances the operational capabilities of the IAF.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier undertaken a sortie in the Prachand during the formal induction of the first LCH into the IAF at the Jodhpur Air Force Station in October 2022.

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