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June 16, 2001
2130 IST

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Women may be inducted
as fighter pilots

The Indian Air Force is studying the possibility of inducting women as pilots for fighter aircraft, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command Air Marshal T J Master said in Bangalore.

The IAF is considering the case of the United States, where women are flying fighter planes, he told a group of visiting journalists while narrating the flying squad's experience with 500 women who were first inducted in 1993.

Women pilots are till now flying only transport planes and helicopters.

The air force employs about 100 women pilots, while others work with the Air Traffic Control, and in the education, accounts, meteorology and other departments.

''The future of women in the air force is very bright. We find them responsible and mature and their employment is not gender-based,'' Air Marshal Master said.

He said the IAF, which had the highest percentage of women personnel among defence services, had a very ''healthy experience'' of working with them.

Though some reports like increasing of workload due to women going on maternity leave were seen, Air Marshal Master discounted them and said, ''All gender-based problems are essentially leadership problems.''

''Services represent the nation in every field and we feel that gender equality is one such area where IAF would like to represent the national sentiments by providing equal opportunity, gender justice and equality to women,'' he added.

UNI

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