In a first, two women officers from the Indian army have been selected to train as helicopter pilots under the Indian Army Aviation Corps’ Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nashik, Maharashtra. The announcement comes only months after Indian Army chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, cleared the proposal allowing women officers to join the army’s aviation wing.
This is a welcome development which puts the army’s aviation wing at par with those of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, which already recruit women as combat pilots. Until now, women army officers were only assigned ground duties in the Army Aviation Corps, which operates the Dhruv Advanced Light, Chetak, Cheetah and Cheetal helicopters. These choppers play a huge role in supporting the Indian Army’s deployment and movements in high-altitude areas, including the Siachen Glacier.
“Fifteen women officers volunteered to join army aviation. But only two were selected after the Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT) and medicals” unnamed officials linked to the development were cited as saying by a new agency. The same officials also revealed that these selected women officers are among 47 army officers who will reportedly start their training this week in Nashik, and join frontline flying duties on completing their training in July 2022.
Reports suggest that the number of women in the Indian military services have increased almost three-fold over the last six years, with 9,118 women currently serving in the army, navy and air force. With more avenues for combat recruitment opening up, this head count is only likely to increase in the coming years.