In a major step towards gender equality in the armed forces, two women have created history by becoming the first to be deployed on Indian Navy warships as part of the ship’s crew. Sub-lieutenant Kumudini Tyagi and Sub-lieutenant Riti Singh became the first-ever women airborne combatants of the Indian Navy to operate helicopters from the deck of warships. The Navy deploys women staffers in logistics and medical wings on-board fleet tankers, but it will be for the first time they will be onboard destroyers and frigates.
The two women officers passed out of the Navy’s Observer Course, at a ceremony held at INS Garuda, the air station of the Southern Naval Command on Monday. The two women, who are engineering graduates in computer science, were commissioned into the Navy in 2018. They were among a group of 17 officers of the Indian Navy which included four women officers and three officers of the Indian Coast Guard who were awarded ‘wings’ on graduating as ‘observers’.
“In yet another first in the history of Indian naval aviation, two women officers have been selected to join as ‘observers’ in the helicopter stream. They would in effect be the first set of women airborne combatants who would be operating from warships,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.
The ceremony was presided over by Rear Admiral Antony George, Chief Staff Officer (Training) who presented the awards and coveted wings to the graduating officers. In addition, the chief guest also awarded the Instructor Badge to six other officers, (five from the Indian Navy including a woman and another from Indian Coast Guard) who had successfully graduated as Qualified Navigation Instructors (QNI). The Rear Admiral Antony highlighted the fact that it was a landmark occasion wherein for the first time, women are going to be trained in helicopter operations which would ultimately pave way for the deployment of women in frontline warships of Indian Navy.
