Late in October 2025, President Droupadi Murmu had become the first Indian head to undertake sorties in two different IAF fighter aircraft after flying in a Rafale fighter jet. Now, continuing her rare hands-on engagement with India’s armed forces, President Murmu is set to undertake a submarine sea sortie on Sunday (December 28, 2025).
Following her recent sortie aboard a Rafale fighter aircraft, President Murmu’s submarine sortie will take place from Karwar Harbour in Karnataka, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Friday (December 26, 2025). The submarine deployment underscores the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces’ direct interaction with frontline military platforms.
President Droupadi Murmu submarine sortie
The submarine sortie will take place at Karwar Harbour, a strategically vital naval base on India’s western seaboard. While details like the type of submarine or duration of the sortie haven’t been shared yet, the engagement is seen as a strong symbolic reaffirmation of India’s maritime strength and underwater warfare capabilities.
Karwar hosts critical surface combatants and submarines of the Indian Navy and plays a central role in safeguarding India’s western maritime approaches.
Rare presidential engagement with naval operations
Presidential submarine sorties are extremely rare, making the event a notable moment in India’s defence calendar. Coming soon after President Murmu’s Rafale fighter jet sortie with the Indian Air Force, the back-to-back engagements highlight the growing emphasis on operational familiarity and morale-building across services.
Prior to President Murmu, it was former president (late) A P J Abdul Kalam who undertook a submarine sortie on February 13, 2006 at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Part of multi-state official itinerary
The submarine sortie is part of President Murmu’s four-day tour of Goa, Karnataka and Jharkhand from December 27 to 30. She will begin the visit in Goa on December 27 before travelling to Karwar the following day. On Monday (December 29, 2025), the President will attend the centenary celebrations of Ol Chiki in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
She will also address the 15th convocation of the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur. Her tour will conclude on December 30 with an address at the Antarrajyiy Jansanskritik Samagam Samaroh – Kartik Jatra in Gumla district.