New Delhi: Making a mark on international woman’s day, Air Chief Matshal Arup Rha announced that the nation will see its first batch of female fighter pilots on June 18th this year.
Raha said, “As of now three women trainees have volunteered to join the fighter stream. They are under the second phase of their training. Once they complete their training and are at par with their male colleagues and the passing out parade is scheduled on June 18th.”
The three trainee pilots should get commissioned on that day and will be the first woman officers in the fighter stream. “I must thank the Defence Minister for having approved IAF’s proposal to induct women as fighter pilots and very soon on 18th June this year, Indian Air Force will get its first woman fighter pilot,” Raha said at a seminar on women in uniform in the Army Medical Corps here.
However in March last year, Raha had said that women are physically not suited to fly fighter planes. “As far as flying fighter planes is concerned, it is a very challenging job. Women are by nature not physically suited for flying fighter.
