IAF’s all-woman crew flies Mi-17 for first time

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 27

The Indian Air Force today flew a Mi-17 medium-lift helicopter with an all-woman crew for the first time, marking another milestone in the professional journey of women personnel in the armed forces.

Flight Lieutenant Parul Bhardwaj was the helicopter’s captain, while Flying Officer Aman Nidhi was the co-pilot and Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal was the flight engineer. They have become the country’s first ‘all-woman crew’ to fly a medium-lift helicopter. 

They flew a Mi-17 V5 helicopter for a battle inoculation training mission, taking off and landing from restricted areas at a forward air base under the operational jurisdiction of the IAF’s South Western Air Command.

Flt Lt Parul Bhardwaj hails from Mukerian in Punjab and is also the first woman pilot to fly a Mi-17 V5. Flying Officer Aman Nidhi hails from Ranchi and is also the first woman IAF pilot from Jharkhand. Flt Lt Hina Jaiswal hails from Chandigarh and is the first woman flight engineer of the IAF.

The Russian origin Mi-17 is a utility helicopter that can ferry up to 24 troops or 4,000 kg load. It can also be armed with rockets and machine guns for providing close air support to ground troops. The helicopter was also used to strafe enemy positions at high altitude during the 1999 Kargil conflict. The IAF has several Mi-17 units located across the country, making up the backbone of the vertical lift component.

Two from punjab

• Flt Lt Parul Bhardwaj from Mukerian, Punjab, is the first woman pilot to fly a Mi-17 V5 
• Flt Lt Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh is the first woman flight engineer of the IAF
• Flying Officer Aman Nidhi hails from Ranchi and is also the first woman IAF pilot from Jharkhand