Captain Abhilasha Barak: First Woman Combat Pilot In The Indian Army; Know More About Her

On Wednesday, 25 May, Captain Abhilasha Barak, a 26-year-old from Haryana, made history when she became the first female officer to join the Army Aviation Corps of the Indian Army as a Combat Pilot/Aviator.

Image Source: Indian Army Instagram

She was awarded this prestigious position along with 36 other Army pilots after successfully graduating from the Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nashik, Haryana. The award was given by the director-general and colonel commandant of Army Aviation, Lt. Gen. A. K. Suri.

Who Is Captain Abhilasha Barak?

Captain Abhilasha Barak is from Haryana and joined the Army Air Defence Corps in September 2018. She is the daughter of Colonel S. Om Singh (Retd). Barak says that it was her brother's passing out parade at the Indian Military Academy in the year 2013 that cemented her decision to join the army.

According to officials, Captain Abhilasha completed a number of professional military courses before joining the Army Aviation Corps.

"While growing up in military cantonments and being surrounded by people in uniform, it always seemed like an ordinary affair. I never realised it (that it was different) until our family moved out of the military life after my father's retirement in 2011. The feeling only grew stronger after seeing my elder brother's passing out parade at the Indian Military Academy in 2013. That was the moment I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life," Captain Barak said in an in-house interview shared recently by the Indian Army.

Facts About Captain Abhilasha Barak

• Captain Barak attended the Lawrence School in Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh.
• She received her B Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Delhi Technological University in 2016 and was placed at Deloitte in the United States.
• She was commissioned into the Indian Army in 2018 after graduating from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai.
• President Ram Nath Kovind chose her as a contingent commander for the Presentation of Colours to Army Air Defence during her attachment with the Corps of Army Air Defence.
• She received an "A" in the Army Air Defence Young Officers course, a 75.70 per cent in the Air Traffic Management and Air Laws course, and passed the Part B promotional exam on her first attempt.
• During Operation Meghdoot in 1987, her father led a patrolling party from Amar Post to Bana Top Post (earlier known as Quaid Post). He suffered from cerebral oedema as a result of the bad weather and was returned to Amar Post, where he was evacuated just in time. Her father owes his life to the Indian Army Aviation Corps, and so does she.