India's first all-women IAF crew fly Mi-17 helicopter in battle training mission

New Delhi : India's first all-women Indian Air Force crew on Monday touched the sky with a medium lift helicopter Mi-17 V5.

Flight Lieutenant Parul Bhardwaj (Captain), Flying Officer Aman Nidhi (co-pilot) and Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal (Flight Engineer) flew the chopper, which took off from a forward air base in South Western air command, a defence release said.

"The all women crew flew a Mi-17 V5 helicopter for a Battle Inoculation Training mission taking off and landing from restricted areas at a forward air base in South Western air command," it said.

Flt Lt Parul Bhardwaj, also the first woman pilot to fly the Mi-17 V5, hails from Punjab's Mukerian. Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh is the first woman flight engineer of the IAF, the release mentioned.

The pilots were first trained at the Helicopter Training School at Air Force Station Hakimpet followed by advanced training at Air Force Station Yelahanka.

The helicopter was certified airworthy by Squadron Leader Richa Adhikari the unit Engineering officer, the release said.