Captain Abhilasha Barak is Army's first woman combat aviator

New Delhi, May 25

Capt Abhilasha Barak created history by becoming the first woman officer to join Army Aviation Corps as combat aviator. Capt Barak’s family is settled in Panchkula, Haryana. Her father Col S Om Singh (retd) served in the J&K Light Infantry.

She has completed six months of combat Army Aviation Course and was awarded the coveted “wings” along with 36 Army pilots today by Lt Gen AK Suri, Director General, Army Aviation, at a valedictory ceremony held at Combat Army Aviation Training School, Nashik.

Capt Barak was commissioned in Army Air Defence Corps in September 2018. She has done professional military courses before joining the Army Aviation Corps. She is an alumnus of the Lawrence School, Sanawar.

The IAF has had women copter pilots for almost 30 years. The Coast Guard also has women copter pilots. The Navy has pilots flying surveillance planes like the Dornier, but does not deploy women on copter.

The Army Aviation Corps is a component of the Indian Army, which was formed in November 1986. The Corps has new units and copters like Cheetah, ALH Dhruv, Rudra, Light Combat helicopters and UAVs.