Indian president takes sortie in fighter jet

Indian President Droupadi Murmu took a sortie in a fighter jet on Saturday, becoming the third president and the second woman president to undertake such a flight, reported Xinhua.

The Su-30 MKI aircraft took off from the Tezpur Air Force Station in the northeastern state of Assam, said a statement issued by the President's Secretariat.

The president flew for approximately 30 minutes before returning to the ground. The fighter jet flew at a speed of about 800 km per hour at a height of about 2,000 m.

"I congratulate the Indian Air Force and the entire team of Air Force Station Tezpur for organising this sortie," she wrote in the visitor's book.

On the occasion, the president was briefed about the operational capabilities of the aircraft and the Indian Air Force, added the statement.