The President of India, Droupadi Murmu took a historic sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam on Saturday. The President, who serves as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, flew over the Brahmaputra and Tezpur valleys for around 30 minutes before making his way back to the air force base.
President Droupadi Murmu took a historic sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam. President Murmu is the third President and second woman President to undertake such a sortie. pic.twitter.com/DozRAWm3Yp
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) April 8, 2023
The aircraft was flown by Group Captain Naveen Kumar, Commanding Officer of the 106 Squadron. The aircraft flew at a height of about two kilometers above sea level and at a speed of about 800 kilometers per hour. President Murmu is the third President and second woman President to undertake such a sortie. Before Murmu, India’s 12th President, Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, had flown in Sukhoi in 2009.
Later in the visitor’s book, the President expressed her feelings by writing a brief note in which she said “It was an exhilarating experience for me to fly in the mighty Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force. It is a matter of pride that India’s defence capabilities have expanded immensely to cover all the frontiers of land, air and sea. I congratulate the Indian Air Force and the entire team of Air Force Station Tezpur for organising this sortie.”
The President was also given a briefing on the operational capabilities of the aircraft and the Indian Air Force (IAF). She expressed her delight on the operational preparedness of the IAF.
As the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, the President’s flight in the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter plane is a part of her efforts to interact with the armed forces. The President visited INS Vikrant in March 2023 and spoke with the commanders and sailors aboard the indigenously built aircraft.
Pratibha Patil previously achieved two world records while flying a Sukhoi. The first flew in a Sukhoi as the first female president of any nation, and the second is the oldest woman to have flown in a combat jet for a 30-minute mission at a speed that approaches supersonic. Pratibha Patil, who is recorded in the Guinness Book, was 74 years old at the time.
Before Patil, former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam flew to Sukhoi in 2006. He was the first Indian President to do so.
Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a multi-role combat fighter aircraft jointly developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the IAF. Based on the Su-30 fighter aircraft, Su-30MKI is equipped with thrust vectoring control and canards.