April 8, 2023
In a historic moment for India’s Air Force, President Droupadi Murmu took a thrilling ride in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam.
The President Murmu became the third President and second woman President to undertake such a sortie.
The President expressed her admiration for the Indian Air Force and the team at Air Force Station Tezpur for organizing the sortie.
She was briefed on the aircraft’s operational capabilities and the IAF’s preparedness, which she found to be satisfactory.
During the 30-minute flight, the President covered the breathtaking Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley, flying at a height of about two kilometers above sea level and at a speed of about 800 kilometers per hour.
The aircraft was flown by Gp Capt Naveen Kumar, CO of 106 Squadron.
Expressing her appreciation, In her note on the visitor’s book, the President Murmu wrote,” 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-30 MKI 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.”
President Murmu was on a two-day visit to Assam from April 6 to April 8. During her visit, she was scheduled to inaugurate the Gaj Utsav-2023 at the Kaziranga National Park. Later, in Guwahati, she flagged the Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition-2023, followed by a function that marked the completion of 75 years of the Gauhati High Court in Guwahati. On the last day of her visit, President Murmu flied in a Sukhoi 30 MK1 fighter aircraft from Tezpur Air Force Station.
