Defence Minister Sitharaman Flies In Sukhoi Jet In 45-Minute Sortie

New Delhi, Jan 18: The Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman strapped herself into a G-suit Yesterday and became the second Indian woman leader to go on a sortie on a Sukhoi-30 fighter jet.

The supersonic jet took off for the 45-minute ride from the Jodhpur Air Force station this morning. After landing, the 58-year-old minister said the experience was "eye-opening and memorable".

A video from inside the Sukhoi showed the minister waving before the take-off and then the ground falling away rapidly. A Sukhoi-30 is capable of achieving a maximum speed of 2,100 km an hour -- nearly four times more than a commercial airliner.

The plane crossed the speed of Mach 1 and rose to an altitude of 8000 metres, she pointed out. "So, in a way, (it went) higher than Mount Everest and crossed the speed of sound. It just shows the excellence in our fighter pilots' training," said.

Former President Pratibha Patil was the first woman and at the 75, the oldest person to ride the fighter jet in 2009. Junior defence minister Rao Inderjit Singh, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Union minister Kiren Rijiju also belong to the elite list.

After the sortie, Ms Sitharaman said she was "very proud and thankful" for the experience. "It actually tells me with what rigor, practice, what level of readiness & how quickly they (the defense personnel) have to respond to situations," she said.

As India's first woman defense minister, Ms Sitharaman has spent a lot of time traveling to Army, Air Force and Navy bases to understand their operations. A few days ago, she was onboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in the Arabian sea to witness the operations of the MiG-29 fighter off the deck of the ship and other Naval exercises.

For the sortie, Ms Sitharaman wore a flight overall and a G-Suit, or anti-gravity suit, which ensures comfort when the jet takes tight turns. She also wore a helmet with an oxygen mask. The minister took the rear seat of the fighter jet, which was being piloted by Group Captain Sumit Garg. Communication was maintained through intercom.