1st woman def. minister on Sukhoi; Sitharaman breaks records

Jodhpur, Jan 17 (IANS): India’s first woman Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday donned an olive green flight suit to fly in Indian Air Force’s frontline aircraft, Sukhoi Su-30 MKI — an indigenously-built twin-engine fighter jet capable of carrying out nuclear strikes.

The supersonic jet piloted by Group Captain Sumit Garg carrying Sitharaman took off from the Air Force station here in Rajasthan. She was seen seated in the cockpit for the 40-minute sortie.

The Minister told the media that she felt “very proud and thankful” to the Air Force for letting her have the experience of flying in a fighter craft.

“It actually tells me with what rigor, practice, what level of readiness and how quickly they (defence personnel) have to respond to situations. It was eye-opening and memorable,” Sitharaman said.

With this, Sitharaman became the second Indian woman leader to fly in a Sukhoi-30 jet.

Earlier, then President Pratibha Patil had flown in the fighter in 2009.

Sitharaman donned a helmet with oxygen mask and wore a flight overall and a G-Suit, also called anti-gravity suit — worn by pilots for comfort when the jet takes turns.

The Minister tweeted her pictures familiarizing herself with the fighter aircraft before taking off. The Sukhoi SU-30 MKI is a multi-role fighter developed by Russia’s Sukhoi and built under licence by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. In November 2017, India successfully flight-tested the air variant of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the fighter jet.

After taking over as Defence Minister in September, Sitharaman has been visiting Army, Air Force and Naval bases frequently. She was onboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in the Arabian Sea to witness the operations of the MiG-29 fighter on the deck of the carrier.

The visits are part of her efforts to gauge and review the operational preparedness and combat capabilities of the forces.

Indian politicians who flew in Su-30

New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday became the second woman politician to fly in a Su-30 fighter jet. Here is a list of political leaders who earlier flew in the Sukhoi 30 fighter jets of the Indian Air Force.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — When then President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam flew in a Su-30 in June 2003, he became the first head of state in India to fly in a fighter aircraft. Kalam, who was an eminent scientist, had flown the plane along with his co-pilot, and later said he became a scientist only because he could not become a pilot. He was 74 years old at the time.

George Fernandes — In June 2003, then Defence Minister George Fernandes put on the flying suit and took off in a Su-30 fighter jet from Lohegaon Air Force Station near Pune. He was 73 years old at the time.

Pratibha Devisingh Patil — Then President Pratibha Patil flew in a Su-30 in November 2009 from the Indian Air Force Base in Lohegaon.

Rao Inderjit Singh — Then Minister of State for Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh flew in a Su-30 from Hindon air base, near Delhi, in August 2015.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy — The BJP leader, who is a trained pilot, flew a Su-30 in February 2015 at the Aero India show in Bengaluru.

Kiren Rijiju — The Minister of State for Home flew in a Su-30 from Halwara airbase in Punjab in May 2016.