President Murmu takes Combat flight on Sukhoi Jet during Northeast visit

President Draupadi Murmu made history on Saturday as the first tribal president of India to conduct an airstrike on a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter jet from Assam's Tezpur Airforce Station, a strategic air base. The President is currently on a three-day official visit to the northeastern state.

Earlier, in 2009, Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, the twelfth President of India, had flown in Sukhoi before Murmu. Patil had made two world records by flying in Sukhoi - one as the first female president of any country to fly in Sukhoi, and the other as the oldest woman to be airborne in a fighter jet for a 30-minute sortie at near supersonic speeds. Patil's name is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a multi-role fighter jet jointly developed by Sukhoi Design Bureau and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Based on the Su-30 fighter, the Su-30MKI is equipped with thrust vectoring control and canards. Development of the Su-30MKI for the IAF began in 1995.

During her visit, President Murmu also inaugurated the 'Gaj Utsav' at the state's Kaziranga National Park on Friday. 'Gaj Utsav 2023' marks 30 years of Project Elephant and the President stressed the importance of conservation efforts to preserve the national heritage of elephants.