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| Image: Flickr User - Mark Rourke |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
Women will finally be allowed to fly fighter jets in the Indian Air Force.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to allow women to fly combat missions by June 2017, according to a press release from India’s Ministry of Defense.
The ministry has “approved the induction of women into the Fighter (Combat) stream of the IAF,” the statement reads. That marks a first for one of the world’s largest militaries (though India’s archrival, Pakistan, already inducted its first five female fighter pilots in 2013).
“This progressive step is in keeping with the aspirations of Indian women and is in line with contemporary trends in armed forces of developed nations,” the press release continues.
There are currently 1,500 women serving in the IAF, including 94 pilots and 14 navigators. However, female pilots and navigators have so far been confined to non-combat roles and serve in transport and helicopter units. “Inducting women into the fighter stream would provide them with an equal opportunity to prove their mettle in combat roles,” the defense ministry statement notes.
Read the full story at The Diplomat