Meet The First Women To Become Combat Aviators On Indian Naval Warships!

From Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth (the first-ever woman fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force) to Avani Chaturvedi (the first woman solo pilot to fly MiG-21),  Indian women are breaking the barriers in the armed forces and making our country proud every single day.

Recently, in a welcoming move, the Indian Navy has deployed 2 female officers as ‘observers’ or airborne tacticians on the Navy warships. Sub Lieutenant Kumudini Tyagi and Sub Lieutenant Riti Singh have made history by becoming the first women airborne combatants who will operate helicopters onboard warships, reports India Today.

However, while the Indian Navy does employ several women officers in its ranks, thus far no women have embarked on warships for lengthy durations due to various reasons like the lack of privacy in the crew quarters and the lack of gender-specific bathroom facilities. But things will take a positive turn now as the two young officers are getting trained to operate a host of sensors onboard the navy multi-role helicopters.

The 2 officers will serve on-board Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, reports HT. Sub Lieutenant Singh, a fourth-generation armed forces officer was quoted saying by NDTV,

“Things are changing in the Indian Navy every day. The navy is giving everybody an opportunity every day. Yes, we’re breaking barriers every day but there are a lot of opportunities coming up every day. Whatever role the Indian Navy gives us, we will gladly take them.”

She added, “Our training has been really rigorous. We’ve both completed over 60 hours of training. We take pressure and tension bang on. We don’t get worked up.” Sub Lieutenant Tyagi, who is from Ghaziabad, was quoted saying,

“We’ve been treated equally. Whatever training our male counterparts received, we went through the same training. It is a huge responsibility, the task is a challenge. We are looking forward to it.”

The officers of the 91st Regular course and 22nd SSC Observer course initially took training in air navigation, flying procedures, tactics employed in air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, among other things. According to reports, the officers are now part of a group of 17 officers of the Indian Navy, including four women officers, and three officers of the Indian Coast Guard.

Well, it makes us immensely proud to see women officers shattering glass ceilings in the armed forces. Kudos to the officers!

Cover Image Source – Left, Right

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