Meet Captain Abhilasha, a 26-year-old who has become the Indian Army’s first female combat pilot

Meet Captain Abhilasha, a 26-year-old who has become the Indian Army’s first female combat pilot.

Captain Abhilasha Barak is the Indian Army’s first female combat pilot. The 26-year-old Harayana girl was awarded the coveted “wing” along with 36 Army pilots by the Director General of Army Aviation during a ceremony at the Army Combat Aviation Training School in Nashik.

“Captain Barak was the first female officer to join the Army Aviation Corps as a combat pilot after successfully completing the Army Combat Aviation course,” said an Indian Army official.

Barak joined the Army Air Defense Corps in September 2018. Barak is the daughter of Colonel S Om Singh (retired) and completed a number of professional military courses before joining the Army Aviation Corps.

The Army Aviation Corps is a component of the Army formed in November 1986. The Corps has grown exponentially with the addition of new units and the status of alternative equipment such as the Cheetah Dhruv, the Rudra Light Gunship, and remote-controlled aircraft.