Jaipur, Feb 26: The Indian Air Force’s largest military exercise, “Vayu Shakti-2026”, will be held on Friday at the Pokhran Field Firing Range (Jaisalmer) in Rajasthan, near the Pakistan border.
The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, President Droupadi Murmu, will also be present at the exercise.
According to the schedule, the President will fly a Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand on Friday. During this, she will conduct an aerial survey of the exercise area. This will be the first time the President will co-pilot a combat helicopter in the border airspace of Jaisalmer. Following the event, she will interact with officers and soldiers at the Air Force Station and boost their morale.
In the evening, the President will arrive at the Pokhran Range, where the exercise will commence in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma.
During this period, the Air Force will showcase its lethal capabilities through aerial fire and precise strikes.
In addition to Prachand aircraft, Rafale, Sukhoi-30 MKI, and Apache will also showcase their might at ‘Vayu Shakti-2026’. This visit of the President is considered extremely important from a strategic perspective. Tight security arrangements have been made in Jaisalmer. The entire area from Chandan to Pokhran has been declared a ‘no-fly zone’.
President Murmu has a long and deep association with the aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
She is not only the supreme commander of the armed forces, but has also personally flown frontline fighter jets to boost the morale of the country’s soldiers.
She has flown in a Sukhoi and a Rafale. President Murmu created history on October 29, 2025, by flying in a Rafale aircraft of the ‘Golden Arrows’ squadron based in Ambala. She became the first President of the country to fly in two different fighter aircraft (Sukhoi and Rafale).
She experienced the power of the Rafale at a speed of approximately 700 km/h at an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet.
President Murmu flew for approximately 30 minutes in a Sukhoi-30 MKI on April 8, 2023, from the Tezpur base in Assam.
She assessed the aircraft’s firepower and the Air Force’s preparedness while flying over the Himalayan peaks and the Brahmaputra Valley.
She became the second woman President of the country to fly in a Sukhoi after Pratibha Patil.
–IANS