Capt Abhilasha Barak Becomes First Woman Combat Aviator In Indian Army: Know More About Her Journey

Thirty years after the country started inducting women as officers in the Indian Armed Forces, Captain Abhilasha Barak, on Wednesday, May 25, became the first woman combat aviator in the Indian Army.

The 26-year-old from Haryana has joined the Army Aviation Corps as a helicopter pilot after concluding a year-long course at the Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nashik, Maharashtra.

The Army said, "She has been awarded the coveted wings along with 36 Army pilots today by Director General and Colonel Commandant Army Aviation Lt. Gen. A. K. Suri during a valedictory ceremony held at Combat Army Aviation Training School, Nashik," quoted The Hindu.

Who Is Captain Abhilasha Barak?

Captain Barak hails from Haryana and has grown up in the military Cantonments across India as she is the daughter of retired Col S Om Singh; therefore, joining the forces was a natural career option for her.

The captain was commissioned in the Army Air Defence Corps in September 2018 from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai. She has done several professional military courses before joining the active corps.

Barak is an alumnus of Himachal Pradesh's The Lawrence School, Sanawar and has completed B Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Delhi Technological University in 2016 and was placed at Deloitte, USA.

She said in an interview, "After completing my training from Officers Training Academy, Chennai, in 2018, I opted for Army Aviation Corps. As I was filling the form, I knew I was eligible for only ground duty role but I ended up mentioning that I had qualified Pilot Aptitude Battery Test and computerised pilot selection system. Somewhere in my heart, I always knew that the day was not far away when Indian Army would start inducting women as combat pilots," quoted The Indian Express.

Army Aviation Corps

Army Aviation Corps is the youngest Corps of the Army and was formed on November 01, 1986. Over the years, it has expanded with the addition of new units and equipment like Cheetah, Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, weaponised ALH Rudra and Light Combat Helicopter.

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