The mission of women pilots flying fighter jets for the Indian Air Force will be implemented soon, said by Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Thursday.
On the 83rd Air Force Day, air chief announced, “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 of India”.
Earlier, the Air Force defused to allow women in fighter squadrons because of fears of torture if they were shot down in combat.
In a contradictory statement in 2014, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha had said that women were not mentally and physically fit enough to be fighter pilots. If IAF change the rules, then this will be a historic leap and IAF will be the first to have women in active front-line combat.
In 2010, the Delhi High Court gave a landmark ruling in favour of the women pilots getting a permanent commission in the armed forces. Women were found as proficient as their male counterparts in flying high-risk rescue and other missions.
Some of them have even flown sorties of AN-32 aircraft to Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh, the world’s highest advanced landing ground at 16,500-feet, as well as IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft to Leh. Also, Squadron Leader Deepika Misra recently stormed a fiercely male bastion by joining the helicopter display team ‘Sarang’.
