Captain Abhilasha Barak was awarded the coveted ‘wings’ along with 36 Army pilots at a ceremony held at the Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nashik, said officials.
New Delhi: Captain Abhilasha Barak on Wednesday created history by becoming the first woman to join the Army Aviation Corps as a Combat Aviator. The announcement was through the official social media page of the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army).
Captain Barak was awarded the coveted ‘wings’ along with 36 Army pilots at a ceremony held at the Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nashik, said officials.
“Golden Letter Day in the history of #IndianArmy Aviation. Captain Abhilasha Barak becomes the First Woman Officer to join #ArmyAviationCorps as Combat Aviator after successful completion of training. #InStrideWithTheFuture,” it said on Twitter.
In another tweet it said, “Captain Abhilasha Barak has been awarded the Coveted Wings along with 36 Army Pilots by Director General & Colonel Commandant Army Aviation. Young Aviators are now ready to spread their wings in Combat Aviation Squadrons.”
Until now, the Indian Army did not have women officers in the flying branch, unlike the Indian Air Force and the Navy. It had women officers at the Air Traffic Control for ground duties.
A resident of Haryana, Captain Barak was commissioned in the Army Air Defence Corps in September 2018. Prior to joining the Army, she worked as a Business Technology Analyst for Deloitte, US. Captain Barak is an alumnus of The Lawrence School, Sanawar. She completed her graduation in B Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Delhi Technological University in 2016.
Captain Barak is the daughter of Colonel S. Om Singh (Retd) and had completed several professional military courses before joining the Army Aviation Corps, said an official.