Flying officer Bhawana Kanth recently became the second woman pilot to fly a fighter aircraft solo, reported ANI. The first woman to achieve the feat is Avani Chaturvedi.
Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh, broke through glass ceiling to be India’s first women fighter pilots. The historic event took place on June 18, 2016. After the Defence Ministry’s ground-breaking decision of inducting women in the combat stream, the three women were commissioned as India’s first women fighter pilots squadron.
Kanth flew in MiG-21 "Bison" from Ambala Air Force Station at around 2pm on Friday (March 16). She flew the aircraft which has virtually the highest landing and take-off speed in the world -- 340 kmph.
Kanth hails from Darbhanga in Bihar. She revealed how flying "like a free bird" had always been a childhood dream for her. When she finally got the opportunity to fly high in 2016, there was no second thought in joining the IAF, TOI reported.
She is now second woman only to have created history to do so. On February 21, flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi became the first Indian woman fighter pilot to fly solo.
In October 2015 when the government took the decision to open the fighter stream for women, the thought of women in combat roles in the army was a mere idea only.
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In the navy, combat is still off-limits for women, due to a combination of operational concerns and logistical constraints.
Kanth said that being in the fighter stream is the "best and biggest" thing that happened to her
Women like Kanth, Chaturvedi and Singh have proved that sky is the limit when you have the will.
Feature Image Credit: Twitter/ANI
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Also read: Special Feature: Women in Indian Armed Forces
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