Combat plan: IAF wants to see women fly fighter jets

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 8

In a first for the Indian armed forces, IAF is planning combat role for women by inducting them as fighter aircraft pilots. 

Speaking at the Air Force Parade at the Hindon air base on the 83rd anniversary of the Air Force, IAF Chief Arup Raha said: “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”.

The IAF Chief had first spoken about the issue at the passing out parade of the Army’s Officer Training Academy at Gaya in December last year. “They (women) are already working in all branches of the Air Force and they could be appointed as fighter pilots too in future,” he had said in Gaya.

Later in the evening, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said he has convened a meeting of the three Service Chiefs on the issue of having women in combat roles to make forces gender neutral. Women in several other countries, including Pakistan, have been drafted to fly fighter jets, which usually fly at Mach-1, or the speed of sound. The jets carry missiles and bombs and are the first targets of enemy air defence guns and missiles fired from ground.

The Indian Air Force, Navy and the Army allow women officers to get permanent commission in select streams, but women are not allowed in combat duties like fighter jets, Naval warships or Army’s infantry, armoured and artillery regiments. 

The Navy also has women pilots but all are in non-combat duties

Sources said women, like their men counterparts, will undergo the same level of training that will have years of flying on two different types of training jets.

Speaking about the changes, the Indian Air Force chief said by next year the operational capability of the 

IAF would be enhanced. “The mid-life upgrade project of the MIG-29, Mirage 2000 and the Jaguar along with the induction of LCA by next year will further enhance  operational capability”.

He said the focus would be to upgrade operational infrastructure in north and north east. “Modern facilities are being created for the Sukhhoi-30 MKI, C-17 and C-130 J fleet’s and the Akash Missiles System”.