President Droupadi Murmu takes sortie on the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft from Assam's Tezpur,

President Droupadi Murmu took a historic sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft from the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam today (April 8, 2023).
Image Source- President of India's Twitter handle.
President
Murmu, who is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, flew for
approximately 30 minutes covering Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley with a view of
Himalayas before returning back to the Air Force Station.
According
to an official release, 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.
The
President expressed her feelings about her maiden sortie by writing a brief
note in the visitor’s book, which read "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 briefed on the operational capabilities of the aircraft and
the Indian Air Force (IAF). She expressed satisfaction on the operational
preparedness of the IAF.
The
President's sortie in the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft is a part of her
efforts to engage with the armed forces, as the Supreme Commander of the Indian
Armed Forces.
In
March 2023, the President visited INS Vikrant and interacted with officers and
sailors on board of the indigenously built aircraft.
President
Murmu is the third President and second woman President to undertake such a
sortie.
Earlier,
former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam flew in Sukhoi in 2006. He was the first
Indian President to do so.
Then,
India’s 12th President, Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, had flown in Sukhoi in 2009.
She was the first female President of any country to fly in Sukhoi, and the
oldest woman to be airborne in a combat jet for a 30-minute sortie at a speed
close to the supersonic level. The former President of India was 74 years old
then.
Her
name is also recorded in the Guinness Book of World Record.
President
Murmu is currently in the Northeastern state, Assam, for a three-day official
visit.
On
Friday, President Murmu inaugurated the Gaj Utsav 2023 at the Kaziranga
National Park, Assam, flagged off Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition 2023 organised
by Assam Mountaineering Association at Guwahati and also graced the platinum
Jubilee celebration of the Gauhati High Court and launched a mobile app
‘Bhoroxa’ made for the safety of women and elderly people.
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