President Droupadi Murmu took a historic sortie in a Sukhoi- 30MKI fighter at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam on 7 April 2023. President Murmu is the third President and second woman President to undertake such a sortie. Expressing her appreciation, President Droupadi Murmu wrote in the visitor’s book, “I congratulate the Indian Air Force and the entire team of Air Force Station Tezpur for organising this sortie. It was an exhilarating experience for me to fly in the mighty Sukhoi-30MKI 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.” 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 flew for about 30 mins covering Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley. The aircraft was flown by Gp Capt Naveen Kumar, CO of 106 Squadron. The aircraft flew at a height of about two kms above sea level and at a speed of about 800 kms per hour.
All images: Saurav Chordia (Twitter @SauravChordia1)