First Female Fighter Pilots of Indian Air Force

Avani Chaturvedi is one of the first female fighter pilots of India. She was declared as the first combat pilot along with two of her cohort, Mohana Singh, and Bhawana Kanth. The trio was inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016. They were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman fighter pilot to fly solo. Ms Chaturvedi on Monday flew a MiG-21 Bison, which has the highest landing and take-off speed in the world.

This was her first training solo sortie and she flew it for 30 minutes in Gujarat’s Jamnagar airbase, an Indian Air Force official said. The fighter stream was opened for women in 2015 and Avani Chaturvedi, along with two other women – Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth – were inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in 2016.

The three women have since then undergone strenuous training programme to fly fighter jets. The Indian Air Force has already selected the next batch of three women trainee pilots for the fighter stream.