President of India takes a historic sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft

Category : Defense Published on: April 11 2023

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The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu took a historic sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam today (April 8, 2023).
The President, 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 to the Air Force Station.
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 President Draupadi Murmu, country's first woman President Pratibha Patil flew in Sukhoi in 2009.
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.
Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft is a two-seat multirole fighter aircraft.
This Aircraft is developed by Russian company Sukhoiand manufactured under license by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).