MiG-21 Bison is what India's first women fighter pilots will fly, indicates Air Chief

On the day the Indian Air Force celebrated 85 years of its existence, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa indicated that India's first three women fighter pilots will fly the fighter which has been the backbone of the IAF for long - the MiG-21 Bison.

Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh were commissioned as flying officers in July 2016 after the fighter stream was opened for women on an experimental basis. They are currently training on British Hawk advanced jet trainers at an IAF facility at Kalaikunda in West Bengal.

The trio is likely to fly fighter jets next month after completing a strenuous training programme.

“The present consideration is to put them to MiG-21 Bison squadrons. Our opinion is that it'll sharpen their skills. It (the MiG-21 Bison) is more manual than other sophisticated aircraft,” Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said at the sidelines of the Air Force Day celebrations at the Hindon air base on Sunday. 

The IAF chief added that flying a plane like the MiG-21 Bison enhances the ability of a pilot. It helps in polishing the skills of air warriors more than flying more sophisticated planes, he said.

The three women fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force are expected to be posted together once they start flying fighter jets. This will be done so that they can learn from their combined experiences and also have company.