Defence minister Sitharaman undertakes sortie in Sukhoi

The country's first woman defence minister sat in the rear seat behind the pilot and was wearing the pilot’s G-suit.

The sortie is likely to last for 30 minutes, defence sources said.

"She is reviewing the operational preparedness and combat capabilities," the sources said.

Sukoi-30 MKI is a nuclear-capable aircraft which can penetrate deep into enemy territory.