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IAF to have women fighter Pilots soon: Air Chief Arup Raha on 83rd Indian Air Force day

By FnF Defence Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 08, Oct 2015, 11:16 am IST | UPDATED: 08, Oct 2015, 18:43 pm IST

IAF to have women fighter Pilots soon: Air Chief Arup Raha on 83rd Indian Air Force day New Delhi: Indian Air Force to Have Women Fighter Pilots Soon, says Air Chief Arup Raha. Women pilots will soon fly fighter jets of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said today.

"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 air chief on the 83rd Air Force Day.

In the past, the Air Force had refused to allow women in fighter squadrons because of fears of torture or rape if they were shot down in combat.

If they do make a historic leap, the Air Force will be the first to have women in active front-line combat.

Air Chief Marshal Raha reviewed the IAF Day parade and flypast at the Hindon Air Force Station, to the northeast of Delhi.

"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," he said.

India till now has not allowed women officers, who have been serving in the armed forces since the early-1990s, to have any combat role.

So, while they could fly transport aircraft and helicopters in the Air Force, women pilots could not tear into the skies as fighter pilots.

Women officers in the other two services too have been kept away from combat roles. In the Navy, they cannot serve on warships and in the Army, they cannot join the infantry, armoured corps or artillery.

With technological advancements making traditional attributes like physical toughness redundant for fighting roles, women officers have been making a push to be allowed to take up an increased role in the armed forces.

Also, flying fighters is of a significantly different nature from ground combat roles in close proximity to enemy forces.

A number of women pilots have proven themselves flying helicopters and transport aircraft in high-risk rescue and other missions. Some women pilots have also flown sorties of AN-32 aircraft to the Advanced Landing Ground at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in Ladakh.

DBO, the world's highest landing ground at 16,500 feet, is close to the frontline and is a critical supply line to troops posted at the Siachen Glacier.

Women pilots have also proven themselves with the Ilyushin IL-76 hheavy-lift transport aircraft, referred to in the Air Force as 'Gajraj', in difficult sorties to Leh.

A major hindrance till now, according to the top military brass, was that it took well over Rs 13 crore to train a single fighter pilot, with the huge investment being recovered over 13-14 years of active flying.

Women fighter pilots, it was stressed, may get married, have children, and consequently disrupt the IAF's tight flying schedules.

But there is a rethink in the IAF now, with women officers also increasingly winning their legal battles for permanent commission in the armed forces, instead of being allowed to serve just 14-15 years as short service commission officers.

In 2010, women in the army and the Air Force were allowed full term service by the Delhi High Court, which commented that women officers "deserve better from the government."

Last month, women naval officers also scored this milestone, with the High Court saying it would "frown upon any endeavor to block progress of women."

Till five years ago, women military officers were entitled only to a limited service span .

Women officers are not allowed on board warships but the navy too, may have to review its rules.

Women serve in the administrative, medical and education branches. They are also taken on aircraft as "observers", to monitor censors.