President Droupadi Murmu takes a sortie on IAF’s fighter plane Sukhoi 30, at Tezpur Air Force Station in Sonitpur, on April 8, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
President and Supreme Commander of the armed forces Droupadi Murmu took a sortie in an Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi-30MKI fighter plane at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam on Saturday. She is the third President and second girl President to undertake such a sortie.
The President flew for about half-hour overlaying Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley with a view of Himalayas earlier than returning to the Air Force Station, an announcement from Rashtrapati Bhawan stated.
“It was an exhilarating experience for me to fly in the mighty Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft of the IAF. 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 IAF and the entire team of Air Force Station Tezpur for organising this sortie,” Ms. Murmu later wrote in the customer’s ebook.
The SU-30MKI flew at a peak of about two kilometres above sea degree and at a velocity of about 800 kilometres per hour and was flown by Group Captain Naveen Kumar, Commanding Officer of 106 Squadron.
The President was additionally briefed on the operational capabilities of the plane and the Indian Air Force (IAF). She expressed satisfaction on the operational preparedness of the IAF, the assertion added.
In March, Ms. Murmu had visited INS Vikrant and interacted with officers and sailors on board of the indigenously constructed plane which was commissioned final September.
