A woman fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon join the Golden Arrows squadron. The Golden Arrows squadron has been operating the newly-inducted Rafale fighter jets. The woman pilot is now undergoing training to fly the Rafale aircraft.
The lady pilot has been flying MiG-21 fighters. Following an internal process, she was selected for the Rafale fleet. At present, the IAF has 10 women fighter pilots. The IAF also has a total of 18 women navigators. The total strength of women officers serving in the IAF is 1,875.
Last week, the Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik told Parliament that women fighter pilots are inducted and deployed in IAF. This is as per the strategic needs and operational requirements.
The resurrection of the Golden Arrows squadron of the IAF was on September 10, 2019. The squadron was originally raised at Air Force Station, Ambala on October 1, 1951. The squadron has many firsts to its credit. In 1955, the Golden Arrows were given the first jet fighter. It was the legendary De Havilland Vampire.
On September 10, there was an induction of five French-made multirole Rafale fighter jets. It was inducted into the IAF at the Ambala air force base. To date, ten Rafale jets have been delivered to India so far. However, five of them stayed back in France for imparting training to IAF pilots. The delivery of all the 36 aircraft is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.
The second batch of four to five Rafale jets is likely to arrive in India by November. The Rafale jets are India’s first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years.
The arrival of the first batch of five Rafale jets in India was on July 29.
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