Being test & fighter pilot selection criteria for Gaganyaan mission

Ajay Banerjee

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New Delhi, February 27

As part of the process to select astronauts for the first Indian human mission into space, the Indian Air Force (IAF) had set parameters that included the need to be a qualified test and fighter pilot besides a series of other requirements.

All four IAF pilots selected for the space mission are qualified test and fighter jets pilots. They have undergone pre-space training for months. All four pilots have flown fighter jets of Russian parentage during their service in the IAF.

The previous IAF foray in space on board Soviet Soyuz T-11 in 1984 had selected two pilots — Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma and Air Commodore Ravish Malhotra — both test pilots and both fighter pilots.

Sources explain that being a test pilot is needed as all experimental flights are first flown by test pilots who are trained to evaluate new technologies. The Light Combat Aircraft developed by India has been flown during test flights. Also, test pilots are tasked with evaluating all upgrades like the engines, avionics and master flight computers on board existing fleets.

Being a test pilot is not an automatic elevation in the IAF. A pilot, after completing certain number of flying hours, takes an exam, undergoes a viva voce and is judged on his flying skills. The pilot then undergoes a six-month specialised training before being inducted as test pilot.

For space missions, fighter jet pilots are given preference as they have flown speeds close to 2 Mach and their bodies have been evaluated against ‘G-force’ – the gravitational pull experienced by pilots when accelerating quickly in mid-flight.

On questions being raised over there being no woman pilot in the mission, IAF officials said though women were there in the fighter jet stream, none had so far met the criteria to take the test pilot exam, which is the minimum requirement. They could have been considered had there been women test pilots, they added.

Significance of basic qualification

• Sources say being a test pilot is needed as all experimental flights are first flown by test pilots who are trained to evaluate new technologies
• The Light Combat Aircraft developed by India has been flown during test flights. Also, test pilots are tasked with evaluating all upgrades like the engines, avionics and master flight computers on board existing fleets