Shalija Dhami becomes first woman officer to command a fighter unit in IAF

Tags: Defence Person in news

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has announced on 8 March 2023 that Group Captain Shalija Dhami will take over the command of the Missile Squadron in the Western Sector. Ms. Dhami has become the first Indian woman officer to achieve this.

An overview of the news:

• Dhami was commissioned as a helicopter pilot in the year 2003.

• She is currently posted in the Operations Branch of Forward Command Headquarters.

• Dhami is the second deployment after Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army. 

• Shiva Chauhan is currently the first woman officer to be operationally posted in Siachen.

• In another achievement, Major Abhilasha Barak has become the first woman officer to join the Army Aviation Corps as a combat aviator after completing her training.

Indian Air Force (IAF):

• Headquarters: New Delhi

• It is the fourth largest air force in the world.

• Motto: Touching the sky with glory (taken from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita).

• Chief of the Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal VR Chowdhary.