Ace shuttler PV Sindhu and astronaut Sunita Williams will get to fly in the homemade Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas on Aero India Women's Day.
Aero India 2019 is observing Women's Day on Saturday at Asia's largest military aviation exhibition at the Yelahanka Air Force base in Bengaluru. It's a celebration of women's contribution to the aviation sector. Sindhu took to Twitter to confirm her participation. The 23-year-old will become first ever woman to have co-piloted the desi flying machine, Tejas.
She is also probably the youngest person to have taken a sortie on this aircraft that was granted the Final Operational Clearance at the show. "It's a great honour for me to fly in a Tejas. It will be a proud moment and I am looking forward," Sindhu told Manorama Online.
Tejas, built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), is a single-engine multirole light fighter and the lightest in the world.
Media reports suggest that astronaut Sunita Williams will also be part of the celebrations on Saturday, but there is no official confirmation from the show organisers.
Today at #AeroIndia2019 too going to be exciting. The day is dedicated to women empowerment - #AeroIndiaWomenDay
Here are some major attractions of the day@IAF_MCC @PIB_India @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/eeiaV1icLm
— Aero India 2019 (@AeroIndiashow) February 23, 2019
Indian Air Force said that an all-women crew will be putting up a show that will include flying Hawk-I advanced trainer and upgraded version of the MiG-21.