New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) After making history by becoming the first woman in India to fly in a fighter jet, President Pratibha Patil will now get on board India’s lone aircraft carrier INS Viraat in Mumbai Dec 23.
‘The president is our supreme commander and she can any time get on board any of our warships,’ an Indian Navy officer told IANS.
Confirming that Patil would observe her first ‘Day at Sea’ on board INS Viraat, the officer said she will be on the aircraft carrier on Dec 23 in Mumbai.
Every president conducts Fleet Review once during his/her tenure.
The 74-year-old president became the first woman to fly in a Sukhoi Su-30 jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Lohegaon Air Base in Pune Nov 25.
The 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, the Centaur class aircraft carrier, was originally commissioned in the British Royal Navy as HMS Hermes Nov 18, 1959. The Indian Navy acquired the platform in 1987 after it had served the Royal Navy for nearly 28 years.
INS Viraat is pivotal to the navy’s aim to project its naval and air power beyond its borders. It provides operation ground for Sea Harrier combat jets. It can embark up to 18 combat aircraft and is suited for supporting amphibious operations and conducting anti-submarine warfare.
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