Avani Chaturvedi flew a MiG-21 bison in her first training solo sortie, in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
We celebrate the pioneering achievements of Captain Durba Banerjee and Avani Chaturvedi, leaders in Indian aviation.
In another feat, Lt Jamyang Tsewang, the first commissioned naval officer from Ladakh, also successfully graduated as a qualified helicopter pilot, according to the Indian Navy.
The defence ministry has decided to convert the experimental scheme for induction of women fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force into a permanent one.
Avani Chaturvedi, Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth will shortly enter the history books by being the first three women cadets to be cleared to fly fighter aircraft in India.
In a historic move, the Army has selected two women officers to train as combat helicopter pilots for its aviation wing, officials said.
Flt Lt Kanth who is from the first batch of woman fighter pilots of the IAF joined the fighter squadron in November 2017.
The Indian Air Force is set to make history on June 18 when the first three women fighter pilots will be formally commissioned into the force.
At present, the IAF has 10 women fighter pilots and 18 women navigators. The total strength of women officers serving in the IAF is 1,875.
Batting for gender parity in the armed forces, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was chief guest at the combined graduation ceremony at Air Force Academy, Dundigal on the city outskirts, termed the event as a "milestone" as it also the first time that women have been given a combat role.
The winners for the year 2019 are from fields as diverse as agriculture, sports, handicrafts, afforestation and wildlife conservation, armed forces and education.
Currently women are allowed in a number of select areas including in medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the army.
'IAF is expanding at a rapid pace'
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