Signaling a major change in mindsets in the armed forces regarding induction of women in combat duties, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Thursday said women officers will soon fly fighter jets. The proposal is now with the Defence Ministry and once cleared it will take three years to have a fully trained and operational woman fighter pilot flying jets like SU-30s, Mirage and Jaguar.
Making this path breaking announcement on the occasion of the 83rd Air Force Day at Hindon Airbase, Ghaziabad, 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 in India.”
At present, countries like the US, Russia, Turkey, Israel, China and Pakistan have women fighter pilots. However, issues like torture and sexual assault after getting captured by the enemy and related problems so far saw the three Indian Armed Forces reluctant to open the doors for women for combat duties alongside their male colleagues.
Describing it as a “progressive step,” Raha said he does not see any “incongruence” in women fighting in a real combat scenario.
The plan to induct women into a fighting arm is a first in the three services which were earlier not open to the idea of women taking part in a combat role. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had in May ruled out women in combat roles due to apprehensions about their safety, but said they would be encouraged to join other operational areas with their inclusion being stepped up in phases.
Asked what steps would the IAF take if a woman fighter pilot was shot down across the border, Raha said they “need not necessarily” go across.
“We have a lot of roles for fighter pilots or fighter aircraft within the country, especially air defence, training or qualified flying instructor. There are so many other tasks. So, if the need arises, they will also do proper combat roles. That is for the future to see. I don’t see any incongruence in women fighting it out in a real combat scenario,” he said.
IAF currently has women in seven areas of administration, logistics, meteorology, navigation, education, aeronautical engineering, mechanical and electrical, and accounts. The Service has over 1,300 women on its rolls of which 94 are pilots and 14 navigators. The move to induct women in combat flying is also expected to help IAF overcome shortage of officers in the fighter aircraft stream.
“We have a lot of women officers in the Air Force. If you take the comparison of the three services, proportionately, the Indian Air Force has the highest number of women officers,” Raha said.
“They are performing duties in all the branches, including flying branch. We have about 110 of them flying helicopters and transport (aircraft),” he said.
Raha said unlike the Army and Navy, the Air Force operates in a different environment.”We operate from bases, so women have a good opportunity to fly fighters,” he said.
Stating that the IAF is in favour of giving an opportunity to women to fly fighter jets, Raha also said: “They are all capable. They have been doing well in every field. So this is an aspiration of the young Indian women and we would like go along with this because it is a progressive step. We want to progress forward.”