On April 8, 2023, President Droupadi Murmu took a historic sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force in the Tezpur AFS (Air Force Station) located in Sonitpur District of Assam. She said that it is a matter of pride that Indian Defence Capabilities have expanded immensely to cover all frontiers of land, sea and air.
According to a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Murmu who is the Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces flew for a period of 30 min covering the Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley and got a sight of the Himalayas before returning to the Air Force Station.
The fighter aircraft was flown by Group Captain Naveen Kumar, the CO (Commanding Officer) of the 106th Squadron of the Indian Air Force. The aircraft flew at a height of two kilometres above sea level and a speed of 800km/hr.
President Murmu is the third president and second woman president to undertake such a sortie, the statement said.
In the visitors’ book, she wrote and expressed her feelings regarding the sortie- “it was an exhilarating experience for me to fly in the mighty Su-30MKI Fighter of the Indian Air Force. “India’s defence capabilities expanded immensely to cover all frontiers of land, sea, and air. I congratulate the entire team of Tezpur AFS for organising this sortie.”
Additionally, she was briefed on the operational capabilities of the aircraft and IAF (Indian Air Force). The statement added: “She expressed satisfaction with the operational readiness of the IAF.
The President’s sortie in Sukhoi-30MKI (the main backbone of IAF’s Fighter Fleet) 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 the sailors on board the indigenously built aircraft carrier.
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