NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India is opening the way for women pilots to fly fighter jets in combat, its air force chief said, as one of the world’s biggest military forces shakes off its reluctance to give greater responsibilities to women.
Several countries, from the United States to Israel, and even neighbour and arch-rival Pakistan, have women flying their fighter planes, but India’s military has kept them out of that role, as well as frontline warships and ground combat.
In recent years, however, Indian courts have pushed the military to widen opportunities for women, by giving them permanent commissions, for example, instead of limiting them to five-year terms.
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said he expected the first women pilots to be commissioned within the next two to three years, following an air force proposal to the defence ministry.
