IAF Rafale squadron to get first women fighter pilot

The Indian Air Force’s all-male Rafale squadron in Ambala is all set to get its first woman fighter pilot soon.

According to the reports by India Today, one of the IAF’s 10 current active woman fighter pilots is undergoing conversion training and will begin active duties flying Rafale jets with the 17 Squadron soon.

The IAF’s first five Rafale fighters were ceremonially inducted into the Golden Arrows squadron on September 10 in Ambala.

More Rafales will be arriving in October and December, with all 36 on order to be inducted by late 2021.

Women fighter pilots undergo an identical training regimen as their male counterparts. Once they are operational on a fighter type, they undergo conversion training, which is a curriculum pilots need to take when they switch from flying one aircraft to another.

In this case, the woman pilot will be converting from MiG-21 Bison to the Rafale, a vastly different and more modern jet in all respects.

The IAF’s 10 women pilots have flown a variety of jets so far, including the Su-30 MKI and MiG-29 UPG. Flt Lt Avani Chaturvedi, Flt Lt Bhawanna Kanth and Flt Lt Mohana Singh became the first women fighter pilots in 2016.

The government cleared women for fighter flying in 2016. So far, 10 women fighter pilots have been commissioned, with more in the pipeline each year.