Jodhpur: Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday became the first full-time Defence Minister to fly a Sukhoi 30 MKI of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Smt @nsitharaman takes off on the Su-30 MKI #RakshaMantrifliesSukhoi pic.twitter.com/xC51hjeCSa
— Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) January 17, 2018
The Defence Minister undertook a sortie in the Indian Air Force”>Indian Air Force (IAF) frontline combat jet Sukhoi 30 MKI from the air base in Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
Sitharaman arrived at the Air Force Station at around 11:00 am in the morning.
Dressed in the pilot’s G-suit, the country’s first woman Defence Minister sat in the rear seat behind the pilot.
She is reportedly reviewing the operational preparedness and combat capabilities.
Sukoi-30 MKI is a nuclear-capable aircraft which can penetrate deep into enemy territory.
Defence Minister also met the Air Warriors at the Air Force Station in Jodhpur before her sortie on the Sukhoi-30 MKI. She was received by Air Marshal R K Dhir Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), VM, ADC Air Officer Commanding in Chief South Western Air Command and Air Commodore N Tiwari VM Air Officer Commanding Air Force Station Jodhpur.
Initially, Sitharaman was given an overview of the role of the frontline IAF base by the Air officer commanding (AOC).
This sortie comes soon after she visited INS Vikramaditya last week to witness the naval operations and maritime prowess of the Indian Navy.