Squadron Leader Saanya has become the first woman officer to earn the coveted Cat A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) qualification, the highest instructional rating for a pilot in the Indian Air Force, the IAF said on Monday.Saanya, who the air force identified by her first name only, is an accomplished transport pilot. (HT)It said her achievement — a watershed in the IAF’s 93-year history — would inspire aviators across the country.“Excellence takes flight. Sqn Ldr Saanya achieved a historic first by becoming the first woman officer to earn the coveted Cat-A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) qualification. Her achievement embodies dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence. A proud milestone for the IAF and an inspiration for aspiring aviators across the nation,” the IAF wrote on X.Saanya, who the air force identified by her first name only, is an accomplished transport pilot. As a Cat A QFI, she is qualified to train rookie pilots, regular pilots and other instructors too, officials aware of the matter said. The Cat A is the highest instructional rating a QFI can achieve, they added.She was commissioned into the IAF 10 years ago.The development comes seven months after Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh became India’s first woman fighter pilot to earn the QFI badge after completing a gruelling six-month course at the IAF’s Tambaram-based Flying Instructors’ School in Tamil Nadu. To be sure, women transport and helicopter pilots were awarded the QFI badge before Singh.The Indian military has come a long way since it began inducting women as short-service commissioned officers in the early 1990s. Women in uniform are no longer on the fringes but are being assigned key roles alongside their male counterparts across the three services. They are flying fighter planes, serving on board warships, commanding front-line units, being inducted into the PBOR (personnel below officer rank) cadre, getting permanent commission, and undergoing training at the National Defence Academy.To be sure, tanks and combat positions in the infantry are still no-go zones for women in the Indian Army.