Nirmala Sitharaman takes off in IAF's combat jet Sukhoi-30 MKI
To review its operational functionality and combat prowess, India's first woman defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday flew in Sukhoi-30 MKI from the Jodhpur airbase in Rajasthan. Wearing the pilot's anti-gravity suit, she sat in the rear seat of the Indian Air Force's frontline combat jet for 30 minutes that the sortie lasted, reported news agency PTI. Read on for more.
When Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet took off with Sitharaman inside
Pratibha Patil, Abdul Kalam have also been aboard Sukhoi-30 MKI
According to an NDTV report, former defense minister George Fernandes was the first VIP to take a fighter sortie in 2003. Other than Sitharaman, former President Pratibha Patil is the only woman to have flown in the supersonic jet. Another President, Abdul Kalam, and union minister Kiren Rijiju have also been aboard the nuclear-capable aircraft that can penetrate deep into enemy territory.
Sitharaman meets other pilots after successfully completing the sortie
Sitharaman regularly visits Army, Air Force and Navy bases
To better understand operations and related issues, Sitharaman has been a regular at India's Army, Air Force and Navy bases. She was recently aboard aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in the Arabian sea to oversee Naval exercises and work related to the MiG-29 fighter. Sukhoi-30 MKI is a twin-jet fighter built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and developed by Russia's Sukhoi for the Indian Air Force.
