Historic Achievement: BSF Air Wing Welcomes First Woman Flight Engineer in 50-Year History

Border Security Force's air wing has achieved a historic milestone with Inspector Bhawna Chaudhary becoming its first woman flight engineer in over five decades of the wing's existence.

This groundbreaking achievement follows the completion of BSF's first in-house training program specifically designed for flight engineers.

Inspector Chaudhary, along with four male subordinate officers, was recently presented with flying badges by BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary in recognition of their accomplishment.

The border force has managed the aviation unit of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) since 1969, providing operational support to all paramilitary forces and specialized units including the NSG and NDRF.

According to officials who spoke to PTI, the five subordinate officers received comprehensive "ab-initio" training conducted by BSF air wing instructors, successfully completing their rigorous two-month program.

The training, which began in August, equipped the personnel with 130 hours of specialized skills, complemented by practical experience during actual operational missions, including recent flood relief efforts in Punjab and neighboring states.

"The BSF air wing has been experiencing a critical shortage of flight engineers for its Mi-17 helicopter fleet," an official explained.

While the Indian Air Force (IAF) had previously trained the first group of three subordinate officers, various constraints prevented the second batch of five personnel from securing training slots with the IAF.

Consequently, BSF approached the Ministry of Home Affairs for permission to develop and implement an in-house training program for flight engineers, which Inspector Chaudhary and her colleagues have now successfully completed.

The BSF air wing maintains a diverse fleet that includes an Embraer jet for VIP transportation alongside helicopters such as Mi 17 1V, Mi 17 V5, Cheetah, and ALH Dhruv to fulfill its various operational requirements.

Established in December 1965, the BSF currently comprises approximately 300,000 personnel and is primarily responsible for securing India's borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, while also performing various internal security duties across the country.