Woman Sukhoi pilot was part of Operation Sindoor team that hit Lashkar HQ

On the opening day of Operation Sindoor in May 2025, a Sukhoi-30MKI pilot played a crucial role in targeting the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke, according to a defense source. While the source declined to disclose the pilot's identity, numbers, or specific duties, it confirmed that women officers and air crew, including those piloting fighters, transport, and helicopters, were integral to the operation.

The mission targeted 34 initial objectives, but this was reduced to nine strikes on the first day. This deployment reflects ongoing policy changes within the Indian armed forces, where women have progressively moved beyond non-combat roles to active combat positions, including as fighter pilots, as seen with Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena and Flight Lieutenant Srividya Rajan during the Kargil War and Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth, and Mohana Singh commissioned into IAF fighter squadrons in 2016.