Women in fighter pilot

IAF women pilots can fly fighters

In a giant leap forward, the government on Saturday approved induction of women in fighter pilot role in the Indian Air Force (IAF) setting the tone for the Army and the Navy to follow suit in line with the armed forces of some of the developed countries.

"The first women pilots would be selected from the batch which is presently undergoing flying training at Air Force Academy. After successful completion of ab initio training, they would be commissioned in the fighter stream in June 2016. Thereafter, they would undergo advanced training for one year and would enter a fighter cockpit by June 2017," the ministry of defence (MoD) said in a statement.

The government move follows IAF chief Arup Raha's announcement on October 8 that women may be considered for combat flying roles. Subsequently, defence minister Manohar Parrikar had a meeting with the three services chiefs earlier this week here to take the proposal forward, sources said.

Since their induction into the transport and helicopter streams of the IAF, the women pilots' performance has been praiseworthy and on a par with their male counterparts, MoD further said.

The IAF currently has about 1,500 women on its rolls of which 94 are pilots and 14 navigators assigned to transport aircraft fleet.

Current roles in armed forces

The IAF presently inducts women in the Transport and Helicopter stream of the flying branch, Navigation, Aeronautical Engineering, Administration, Logistics, Accounts, Education and Meteorology branches.

The Army inducts women into the Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation (Air Traffic Control), Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps, Intelligence Corps, Army Education Corps and Judge Advocate Generals Branches/Cadres.

The Indian Navy is inducting women in the Judge Advocate Generals, Logistics, Observer, Air Traffic Controller, Naval Constructor and Education branches/cadres.