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.