Hina was commissioned to the IAF’s engineering branch in January 2015. She created history when she was chosen as the first woman candidate to pursue the elite course.
Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal became the first woman flight engineer to be inducted into the Indian Air Force, according to a report by TOI.
The branch of Flight Engineering in the IAF was opened to women officers only in 2018, before which it was reserved exclusively for male officers.
A native of Chandigarh, Hina Jaiswal has completed the six-month course at 112 Helicopter Unit, Air Force Station, Yelahanka and is ready to take on her new role.
According to the official statement,
“In her new role, Flt. Lt. Jaiswal will serve at IAF’s operational helicopter units and serve in demanding and stressful conditions from the icy heights of the Siachen glacier to the seas of the Andamans.”
Talking to TOI, an official from the IAF said:
“Since childhood she had aspired to don the soldier’s uniform and take on the skies as an aviator. Finally, her dreams have manifested into reality after successfully graduating from the alma mater of Heli-lift.”
Before being selected for the prestigious Flight Engineer’s course, Hina has served as Chief of firing team and battery commander in a frontline Surface to Air Missile squadron.
Talking to TOI, Hina described her achievement as a ‘dream come true’.
Indian defence forces have taken commendable steps to become gender inclusive in the past and this is surely one of them.
