Assam: President Droupadi Murmu took her first fighter aircraft fly today. She was observed wearing an anti-gravity suit before boarding a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter plane at Assam’s Tezpur military Force Station, a major military base.
Before returning to the Air Force Station, the President, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, flew for around 30 minutes above the Brahmaputra and Tezpur valleys, with a glimpse of the Himalayas.
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
Group Captain Naveen Kumar, Commanding Officer of the 106 Squadron, piloted the aircraft. The plane flew at a speed of roughly 800 kilometers per hour and a height of about two kilometers above sea level. President Murmu is the third President, and the second female President, to make such a trip.
Former President Pratibha Patil flew on the frontline fighter aircraft in 2009.
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“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,” tweeted President of India’s official Twitter handle.
The President’s flight aboard the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter plane is part of her efforts as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces to engage with the armed forces. The President visited INS Vikrant in March 2023 and talked with officers and sailors on board the indigenously made aircraft.
The Sukhoi-30 MKI is a twin-seat multirole fighter jet developed by Russia’s Sukhoi and constructed under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India.
President Murmu was in Assam for two days from April 6 to April 8. She was slated to open the Gaj Utsav-2023 at the Kaziranga National Park during her visit. Later, in Guwahati, she launched the Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition-2023, which was followed by a function commemorating the Gauhati High Court’s 75th anniversary. President Murmu flew on a Sukhoi 30 MK1 fighter plane from Tezpur Air Force Station on the last day of her tour.
