Weeks after creating history by becoming the first woman fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to participate in aerial maneuvers abroad, Squadron Leader Avani Chaturvedi says flying fighter aircraft is exciting and the sky is open to aspiring youngsters. There is a limit. A career in the force. Su-30MKI pilot Chaturvedi was part of the IAF contingent that participated in the 16-day mega air combat exercise with the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) at the Japanese airbase at Hyakuri from January 12 to 26. “It is always a great experience to participate in flying exercises especially with foreign air forces. It is even more so because this was the first time I was involved in an international exercise. It was a great opportunity for me It was an amazing learning experience.” Chaturvedi told PTI.
The exercise, “Veer Guardian-2023”, was the first war game between the Indian Air Force and JASDF to focus on air-combat maneuvers, interception and air-defense missions. Chaturvedi said, “I want to tell all the young, ambitious girls and boys that the sky is the limit for you. The Indian Air Force is a great career option and flying fighter aircraft is really exciting.”
When asked how difficult the path was for her to become a fighter pilot, she said, “I would like to say to all Air Force aspirants that you should keep an eye on the goal and go after it with determination.”
A BTech in Computer Science, Squadron Leader Chaturvedi was one of the first three women fighter pilots to join the Indian Air Force in June 2016. The other two were Bhawna Kanth and Mohana Singh.
Chaturvedi said, “This exercise has given us a great opportunity to learn from each other. The effort is to understand each other’s working philosophy, planning processes or any good practice in general. It is a mutual learning exercise.” Is.”
According to officials, women fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force have participated in aerial exercises within the country, but this was the first time that one of them was part of a military exercise abroad.
In February 2018, Chaturvedi, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, became the first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo, when she flew a MiG-21 Bison. He took off from the Jamnagar base of the Indian Air Force.
Chaturvedi, Kanth and Singh were inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2016, less than a year after the government decided to open the fighter stream to women on an experimental basis. IAF currently has around 20 women fighter pilots.
Last year, the Defense Ministry said it had decided to convert the pilot scheme into a permanent one to induct women fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force. In 2020, the Navy announced the deployment of its first batch of women pilots on the Dornier seaplane.
In the “Veer Guardian” exercise in Japan, India deployed Su-30MKI aircraft, one IL-78 in-flight refueling aircraft and two C-17 Globemaster strategic airlift transport aircraft. JASDF participated in the exercise with its F-2 and F-15 aircraft.
During the exercise, the two air forces engaged in complex and elaborate aerial maneuvers in multiple simulated operational scenarios. Officials said the IAF and JASDF are engaged in air-combat manoeuvres, interception and air-defense missions in both visual and beyond-visual range settings.
The aircraft of both the air forces also flew in each other’s fighter aircraft to gain a deeper understanding of each other’s operational philosophy.