Woman pilot to be part of IAF’s Rafale fleet soon: Sources

Rafale will soon have its first woman operator, reported PTI quoting an Indian Air Force source on Monday.

The 36 Rafale jet consignment is Indian Air Force’s first major fighter jet acquisition since importing the Sukhoi from Russia 23 years ago. The delivery of the French aircrafts will be completed in a number of batches, with the first batch of five Rafale’s already inducted in the Golden Arrows squadron of the IAF.

Out of the ten Rafale jets officially delivered to India, only five have touched the Ambala airbase. The rest stayed in France for a well-rounded training of some Indian pilots there. The second batch of four to five Rafale jets are likely to arrive in India by November.

The current IAF operation includes ten women fighter pilots, and 18 women navigators. The total strength of women officers in the Indian Air Force goes upto 1,875.

According to the official source, the woman pilot to be induced in the Rafale team is undergoing training. She has been flying MiG-21 fighters and was selected for the Rafale fleet following an internal process.

Shripad Naik, the Minister of State for Defence, during a parliamentary session had explained that woman fighter pilots are only deployed in the IAF with respect to operational requirements and strategic needs.