NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force will now have women as fighter pilots. The ministry of defence on Saturday approved the induction of women into the fighter (Combat) stream of Indian Air Force, the first time when women would be in combat role in the country’s armed forces.
The first women pilots will be selected from the batch which is presently undergoing flying training at the Air Force Academy.
According to the statement issued by the MOD, the first batch will be commissioned into the fighter stream in June 2016. “They will then undergo advanced training for one year and would enter a fighter cockpit by June 2017,” the statement said.
“This progressive step is in keeping with the aspirations of Indian women and is in line with contemporary trends in armed forces of developed nations,” the ministry said.
It said that the performance of women, inducted into transport and helicopter streams of the IAF, has been “praiseworthy” and at par with their male colleagues.
“We have women pilots flying transport aircraft and helicopters. We are now planning to induct them into the fighter stream to meet the aspirations of young women in India,” Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha had said at Hindon air force station on the IAF’s 83rd anniversary earlier this month.
A 2010 high court verdict had granted women officers the right to permanent commissions but this has not been fully implemented. The #IAF’s initiative is a significant victory for those fighting for equal rights for women in the armed forces :TNN
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