Group Captain Shaliza Dhami, a helicopter pilot with over 2,800 flying hours, has been chosen to command a frontline combat unit in the Western sector by the Indian Air Force.
She will be the first woman officer to lead a missile squadron in the Western sector, which faces Pakistan.
Group Captain Dhami is currently working in the operations branch of a frontline command headquarters, and has been awarded twice by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief for her rescue and flood relief missions.
She is also a qualified flying instructor and was the first Indian Air Force woman officer to serve as the flight commander of a Chetak unit at Hindon airbase.
In 2016, the IAF started inducting women fighter pilots, who currently fly the MiG-21, Su-30MKI and Rafale.