New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): Gender parity in the Indian Armed Forces has evolved from historical origins, such as the Rani of Jhansi Regiment in the Indian National Army (INA) and the establishment of the Military Nursing Service (MNS) in the 1800s, into a comprehensive operational standard.
Today, through reforms including the Agnipath scheme and direct entry via the National Defence Academy (NDA), women serve across all three branches of the defence forces. Leading this transition, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has integrated women officers into decision-making roles, combat arms, and ground operations over its 94-year history.
During the 94th Air Force Day celebrations at Hindon Air Force Station, the IAF highlighted this milestone by featuring Team Shakti, its all-women Air Warrior Drill Team, alongside female Agniveers operating across administrative, accounts, logistics, maintenance, and IT departments.
“We have Agniveer women also available today. They are also working in Administration, Accounts, Maintenance, IT, in every field. So, from a gender equity point of view, I think the Air Force is fantastic and has a very, very good track record with respect to gender equity,” Flight Lieutenant Veena Nagaragan (retd) told ANI.
Giving an example of Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma, who received her rank in September, Flt Lt Nagaragan (retd) added, “There has been the first AVM, the first woman officer to be promoted to the rank of AVM. She is in the education field. Shakti Sharma ma’am was my senior in the academy (in AFA); even in the academy, she was a very nice senior.”
Flt Lt Nagaragan (retd) was a logistics officer, part of the 4 Short-Service Commission (Woman) course. The 4 SSC course had initially 13 people join across various non-medical branches in 1994, including Logistics, Accounts, and Administration. Similarly, the 1 SSC Flying Pilots course introduced women in the transport and helicopter branches in the IAF in 1994.
For the 94th Air Force Day, the focus on women personnel is also an important part of showcasing the capabilities of the IAF. Team Shakti, which is the IAF’s all-women Air Warrior Drill Team, also performed at the celebrations, which took place at Hindon Air Force Station, New Delhi.
The IAF was the first one to induct women as pilots in the 1990s in a combat support role. In a landmark reform, the induction of Women Officers into combat roles - initially introduced on an experimental basis in 2015 — was formalised as a permanent scheme in 2022, thereby opening fighter and other combat streams on equal footing
Currently, there are 11,000 women in the Armed Forces, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Women's entry into the National Defence Academy (NDA) has progressed significantly, with 17 women cadets graduating in May 2025 and 15 in November 2025.
While in the 1800’s the formation of the Military Nursing Service (MNS) allowed women to serve on the front lines, physician and Wing Commander Vijaylakshmi Ramanan (retd) became the first woman to be commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 1971, 16 years after she joined the Indian Army Medical Corps as a short-service commission officer.
Due to the significant inroads made by the officers before, women now work without hesitation, with enrolment for women cadets continuing to go strong every year across the Air Force Academy (AFA) and National Defence Academy (NDA).
It is through trial and error, by actually having women on the field and in the units, that the IAF has been able to stay ahead of the curve in achieving gender parity. In fact, the internal workings of the force look to ensure that it is through merit that these women are elevated to the highest ranks for leading decision-making across branches in the IAF, because the proof of women being capable is already there.
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth became the first woman fighter pilot to qualify to undertake combat missions, and Group Captain Shaliza Dhami is also commanding a frontline unit in the IAF. The trailblazing women's leadership has come from decades of hard work, which has allowed a future generation of women to dream the same as their male counterparts. Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay became the IAF’s first such woman to reach one of the highest ranks in the forces from the medical branch.
Women have faced flak when they first gained entry for whatever unfounded reasons, as some do face even today. But the doubt of whether such a change will be successful is not something that can creep up in people’s minds today due to the work of the first pilots and non-medical officers who laid the path for the next officers to come.
Such contributions, apart from flying branches, have only increased the operational efficiency of the forces over the years. Flt Lt Nagaragan (retd) was part of developing the initial Integrated Materials Management Online System (IMMOLS), which is now the foundational online platform for managing parts for IAF weapons systems.
“Now IMMOLS is fully operational and sitting at your office desk; if you want a spare part, you will know where it is lying across any unit across the entire air force,” Flt Lt Nagaragan (retd) told ANI.
Previously, one had to physically travel to various units outside their own operational command to see whether a spare part was available.
“You had to go to an AOG (Aircraft on Ground) meeting in Nashik if an aircraft needed a part and it was not available in your command. From there you needed to go to the unit and see if the part is there or not,” the Flight Lieutenant told ANI, on her days as a logistics officer.
In the flying branch, Squadron Leader Priya Nalgundwar (retd), trained to fly an AN-32 transport aircraft, was part of the 1 SSC (FP) course. She recounts how, despite certain women dropping out for personal reasons, the ones who managed to stay and serve in the IAF have excelled in their respective branches.
"We initially joined as a batch of 13, and one got grounded in the initial stage only, and then we continued; more dropped out; only seven of us passed out. Out of 13, only 7 of us finally got commissioned. There are two flying squadrons of AN-32 in Agra," Squadron Leader Priya Nalgundwar (retd) told ANI.
It is a fact that women have proven themselves time and again; they have been promoted to higher ranks in the Air Force, according to Sq Ldr Nalgundwar (retd), "The women officers whom I saw subsequently, whom I met, are very confident women doing very well in their services and coming up. If you see, now lady officers are also commanding the unit. So, commanding the unit, they have become flight commanders now; there is a lady top gun also, if you see, Bhavana Kanth; she has joined the elite instructors. Women from our time also changed a lot and I'm sure it is only because women had been performing well that's why they have given they have been given these opportunities."
As an AN-32 pilot, Flight Lieutenant Josephine Ancilda, part of the 2 SSC (W) FP course, highlighted that it was just a lack of opportunity; when the opportunity was given, women excelled in the field they chose. Rather, it was a matter of training or getting used to the physical demands of the course, which allowed women to expand their horizons too.
“I never faced any physical problem or had to cope with any physical exercise or running or jumping and all these things because I was already into it, but in my course mess they did find it difficult. I would say two or three people had injuries because of the intense exercise all of a sudden and all these things,” Flt Lt Josephine (retd) said.
Across decades of serving in the IAF, women have not only proven that they belong in the air, but have shown that they can go above and beyond in ‘touching the sky with glory’, whether it is sitting in a cockpit or working on the ground to ensure operational and combat readiness.
The fact is that there will be a few more decades before the Air Force has its first Chief who is also a woman. But the belief still holds true that it will happen, as the system has proven that women’s work has been duly recognised. The IAF has always led in inducting women officers and promoting them within their ranks, even though they still need to be a pilot and be promoted to an Air Marshal from the flying branch.
As the Air Force celebrates 94 years of operations, women have consistently proven that even if they were given a late start in the forces, it has taken them half the time as their male counterparts to reach the same achievements, carry the same stripes on their shoulders with as much pride and confidence as anyone else. (ANI)
Wings of Equality: How women transformed IAF into modern operational powerhouse in 94 years
