India’s First Female Fighter Pilots Have Now Begun Training in Aerial Combat Too

They already made history by becoming the first three women to be inducted in the Indian Air Force’s fighter squadron last year. And now, Avani Chaturvedi, Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth have officially begun their training in aerial combat at Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.

They were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during the combined graduation parade that had taken place at Air Force Academy in Dundigal in 2016.

Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth & Mohana Singh
A sig. milestone for India, they were the 1st women combat pilots to be inducted in @IAF_MCC pic.twitter.com/Zge05HspXP

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Prior to being commissioned, they also trained at the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer at the Bidar air force station (AFS) in Karnataka. Speaking about the latest milestone, Air Force officials have been quoted by India Times as saying, “The three lady officers have now entered their second phase of training and they are learning air to air combat and air-to-ground combat tricks on the Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft at the airbase.”

Avani is from Madhya Pradesh and has a BTech in Computer Science from Banasthali University, Jaipur, Mohana has a BTech in Electronics and Communication from Global Institute of Management and Emerging Technologies, Amritsar. And Bhawana is from Bihar and has a BE in Medical Electronics from BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru. Once they complete their training, they will be deployed in operational frontline squadrons of planes.

You may also like: The Forgotten Story of the First Indian Air Force Women Pilots Who Flew in the Kargil War Zone

The women were inducted as part of a five-year government programme to include more women in combat positions in the Indian armed forces.

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