Fit to Fight ; a Soon-to-Be-Released Report Recommends the Induction of Women As Fighter Pilots. But Is the Indian Air Force Ready for Them? A Reality Check.
Summary
As long back as she can remember, Squadron Leader Sheryl Dutta wanted to be a fighter pilot. When this daughter of an air force officer joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) a decade ago this option was not available to her. So she trained to be a helicopter pilot like her father, logging over 2,000 hours in Chetak and Cheetah helicopters, and even practising combat search and rescue to pick up downed pilots behind enemy lines, before retiring from the IAF last December.
Since the US armed forces lifted their ban on women pilots in combat in 1993, their women pilots have flown bombing missions over Afghanistan and Iraq. Last month, the conservative Pakistan Air Force inducted its first four women pilots. Yet, for the dozens of women like Dutta who have signed up since the IAF opened its doors to women in 1992, the situation remains the same. They are allowed to fly only helicopters and transport aircraft.See the full content of this document
Extract
Fit to Fight ; a Soon-to-Be-Released Report Recommends the Induction of Women As Fighter Pilots. But Is the Indian Air Force Ready for Them? A Reality Check.
Finally, a step towards their induction into the combat arms of the forces is being taken by the Director-General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS). An untitled report, the first of its kind being prepared by the DGAFMS, recommends the induction of women as fighter pilots and o...
See the full content of this document