Categories: National

President of India takes a historic sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft

As part of her three-day official visit to the northeastern state, President Draupadi Murmu boarded a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter jet for a flight from the strategic Tezpur Airforce station in Assam. It is noteworthy that the previous instance of a President flying in a Sukhoi was in 2009, when India’s 12th President, Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, took a similar flight. Upon her arrival at the Tezpur Air Force Station, President Murmu was welcomed with a Guard of Honour.

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About Su-30MKI:

The Su-30MKI is a multirole fighter aircraft designed jointly by Sukhoi and HAL, featuring thrust vectoring control and canards.
Development began in 1995, with Sukhoi leading design and Irkut Corporation responsible for production.
The aircraft has a length of 21.9m, wingspan of 14.7m, and a height of 6.4m, with a maximum take-off weight of 38,800kg.
Its cockpit accommodates two pilots, with equipment including a N011M radar, OLS-30 locator system, and Litening target designation pod.
It can launch air-to-surface missiles, including BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
The aircraft’s power plant provides a maximum speed of Mach 1.9 and a rate of climb of 300m/s.
It has an unrefueled flight range of 3,000km, with in-flight refueling extending its range to 8,000km.