President Droupadi Murmu and Indian Navy chief Adm Dinesh K Tripathi (L) abroad INS Vagsheer (Photo: Rashtrapati Bhawan)
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday undertook her maiden submarine sortie, becoming the second President of India to embark on an Indian Navy submarine. She sailed aboard the indigenously built Kalvari-class submarine INS Vaghsheer at the Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka.
Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the first Indian President to undertake a submarine sortie in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam on February 13, 2006.
In a post on X, the Rashtrapati Bhawan said: “The President is undertaking a sortie on the Western Seaboard. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi is accompanying the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.”
“This maiden sortie onboard a Kalvari Class Submarine by President Droupadi Murmu is the second by President of India, after former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam,” it said.
President Droupadi Murmu embarked the Indian Navy's indigenous Kalvari class submarine INS Vaghsheer at Karwar Naval Base, Karnataka. The President is undertaking a sortie on the Western Seaboard. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi is accompanying the Supreme… pic.twitter.com/8LWzOkc4Ut
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 28, 2025
Prior to this, the president had flown in two fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) – Sukhoi and Rafale.
In April 2023, she undertook a historic sortie in the Sukhoi (Su-30MKI) fighter aircraft at the Air Force Station in Assam's Tezpur.
The aircraft was flown by 106 Squadron's Commanding Officer Group Captain Naveen Kumar.
On October 29, 2025, the President also flew in the Rafale fighter jet at Air Force Station in Haryana's Ambala.
The Rafale jet was flown by 17 Squadron's Commanding Officer Group Captain Amit Gehani.
With this, Murmu became India's only president to undertake sortie of two fighter jets of the IAF.
About INS Vagsheer:--
On January 15, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the INS Vaghsheer to the Indian Navy in Mumbai. She was commissioned alongside two other major naval combatants: the guided-missile destroyer INS Surat and the stealth frigate INS Nilgiri.
Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, INS Vagsheer is the sixth Scorpene submarine of Project-75 is a 2000 tons conventional-propulsion submarine designed and developed by Naval Group for all types of mission, such as surface vessel warfare, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strikes, special operations or intelligence gathering.
Extremely stealthy and fast, it has a level of operating automation that allows a limited number of crew, which reduces its operating costs significantly.
Its combat edge is highlighted by the fact that it has 6 weapon launching tubes and 18 weapons (torpedoes, missiles).
INS Vaghsheer is also one of the most silent and versatile diesel-electric submarines in the world.
The submarine is armed with wire-guided torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and advanced sonar systems.
