Women fighter pilots central to Operation Sindoor's May 2025 strikes
Operation Sindoor, launched in May 2025 after the Pahalgam terror attack, put women pilots right at the center of the action.
A woman Su-30MKI pilot was part of the strike formation that targeted Lashkar-e-Taiba's headquarters in Muridke on the opening day of the operation.
Throughout the four-day mission, women officers from MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Rafale, and Su-30MKI teams took on combat pilot and weapon system roles, showing just how far their presence has come.
India allowed women fighter pilots 2015
This moment reflects how much things have shifted for women in India's military.
After years in non-combat jobs, women were finally allowed into fighter roles in 2015, and India's first three women fighter pilots were commissioned a year later.
Operation Sindoor itself was a major success: nine targets were struck on day one, as retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack.