President Droupadi Murmu, who is currently on a visit to Assam, flew a sortie on the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station on Saturday.

Murmu is the second woman president to fly in a warplane after President Pratibha Patil who flew in the frontline fighter aircraft in 2009. Videos of Murmu flying an aircraft are going viral on social media.

The President, who serves as the Indian Armed Forces Supreme Commander, flew over the Brahmaputra and Tezpur valleys with a view of the Himalayas for around 30 minutes before landing at the air force base, according to a tweet from Rashtrapati Bhavan.  

The aircraft was flown by Gp Capt Naveen Kumar, CO of 106 Squadron. The aircraft flew at a height of about two km above sea level and at a speed of about 800 km per hour. The President was also briefed on the operational capabilities of the aircraft and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Describing her exhilarating experience, Murmu said it is a matter of pride that India’s defense capabilities have expanded immensely to cover all the frontiers of land, air and sea. She expressed satisfaction with the operational preparedness of the IAF.

Murmu received Guard of Honor upon arrival at the Tezpur Air Force Station during her three-day visit to Assam from April 6 to 8.

The Sukhoi-30 MKI is a twin-seater multirole fighter jet developed by Russian company Sukhoi and manufactured by Indian aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

President Murmu, on April 7, inaugurated the Gaj Utsav-2023 at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam to mark 30 years of Project Elephant. The event was inaugurated in the presence of Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

She also attended a function to celebrate 75 years of the Gauhati High Court in Guwahati. She also flagged off the Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition-2023 in Guwahati on Friday.

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