First Indian women fighter pilots get their wings

Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh became the first three women in India to be commissioned into the IAF on Saturday.

After undergoing a rigorous training at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, the three women were formally commissioned into the Indian Air Force by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, at the Combined Graduation Parade.

They will have to undergo another six months of training on the Advanced Fighter Jet, the British-built Hawk, after which they will be allotted their squadrons.

No preference will be given to the three in terms of assignment, Air Chief Arup Raha stated. The women fighters will be assigned as per requirements of the force.

Coming together from different parts of India, the three are excited to continue their family legacies of serving the nation.

Hailing from Satna, Madhya Pradesh, Avani Chaturvedi comes from a family of army officers. She was inspired by her brother who is also in the army.

Bhawana Kanth comes from Darbhanga in Bihar, who dreamed of flying planes as a child. 

Mohana Singh comes from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Her grandfather was a flight gunner in Aviation Research Centre and father is a warrant officer in the IAF. 

Take a look at the training these cadets had to undergo in order to be commissioned into the fighter stream of the air force.

(With inputs from IANS)