Inka Niskanen | |
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Born | 1973or1974(age 50–51) [1] |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service | ![]() |
Rank | ![]() |
Alma mater | National Defence University |
Lt Col Inka Niskanen is an officer and fighter pilot in the Finnish Air Force. She is notable as the first woman in Finland to qualify to pilot a fighter jet; the first to command an air force squadron; and the first to reach, upon her promotion in June 2018, the rank of lieutenant colonel. [1] [2] [3]
In 1997, Niskanen volunteered for national military service (which for women is not mandatory in Finland) at the Training Air Wing, Finnish Air Force, at Kauhava. Following that, in 1998, she was accepted as the first female cadet into the air force officer training programme at the National Defence University, which she completed in 2002, being commissioned as a flight officer, and qualifying to fly the Hornet fighter jets. [2] [4]
In 2014, Niskanen was promoted to major and in the summer of 2018 to lieutenant colonel. In January 2019, Niskanen took command of the Karelia Air Command 31 Squadron, as the first woman to hold such a post in Finland. [5] [3]
From August 2021, she has worked at the National Defence University as the lead lecturer in aerial warfare studies. [3]
The Tuskegee Airmen was a group of primarily African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks, and other support personnel. The Tuskegee airmen received praise for their excellent combat record earned while protecting American bombers from enemy fighters. The group was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations.
Commander is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries, this naval rank is termed as a frigate captain.
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions. The Finnish Air Force was founded on 6 March 1918.
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy. Furthermore, the BAF has a territorial role in providing tactical and strategic air transport and logistics capability for the country.
Wing commander is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.
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Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski was a Polish-American career pilot in the United States Air Force who retired as a colonel after 26 years of military service. He was the top American and United States Army Air Forces fighter ace over Europe during World War II and a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in the Korean War.
Nicole Margaret Ellingwood Malachowski is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and the first female pilot selected to fly as part of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds. She later became a speaker and advocate on behalf of patients with tick-borne illnesses.
In the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, lieutenant colonel is a field-grade officer rank, just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.
A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting. A fighter pilot with at least five air-to-air kills becomes known as an ace.
This article is about women in warfare and the military (2000–present) throughout the world outside the United States. For women in warfare and the military in the United States since 2000, please see: Timeline of women in warfare and the military in the United States, 2000–2010 and Timeline of women in warfare and the military in the United States, 2011–present.
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The Karelia Air Wing is the peace-time Finnish Air Force unit responsible for the protection of the airspace of Eastern and South-Eastern Finland. In spite of its name, the headquarters of the air wing is not located in the Finnish historical province of Karelia, but in historical Savonia and the present-day province of Northern Savonia, at Kuopio Airport in Siilinjärvi.
The Satakunta Air Wing is a peace-time Finnish Air Force unit. Its headquarters are not located in the present-day province of Satakunta, but in historical Satakunta and in the present-day province of Pirkanmaa, at the Tampere-Pirkkala Airport in Pirkkala.
Vermont Garrison was a career officer in the United States Air Force, and a flying ace credited with 17.33 victories in aerial combat. He was one of only seven Americans to achieve ace status during World War II, then again against jet fighter opposition during the Korean War. In 1966, Garrison participated in his third war, as vice commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, and flew a full tour of bombing and fighter missions over North Vietnam.
Bidar Air Force Station,, is a second largest flight training center in India. It is established by the Indian Air Force and It was founded during World War II and has been a training center for Indian Air Force pilots since 1963. Trainer aircraft like the HAL HT-2 and variants of HAL HJT-16 Kiran have been used at the airbase for nearly four decades. In 2011, the station was remodeled and refurbished, with the runway extended to 9000 feet and new facilities for aircraft engine maintenance and testing added.
Jarmo Ilmari Lindberg is a retired Finnish general and former Chief of Defence from 2014 to 2019. Lindberg began his career as a fighter pilot, and was eventually promoted to Commander of the Finnish Air Force and then Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics and Armaments in the Defence Command. He is also a member of the Parliament from the National Coalition Party since 2023.
Bhawana Kanth is one of the first female fighter pilots of India. She was declared as the first combat pilot along with two of her cohort, Mohana Singh, and Avani Chaturvedi. The trio was inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016 and were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. After the government of India decided to open the fighter stream in India Air Force for women on an experimental basis, these three women were the first to be selected for the program.
Armour G. McDaniel, Sr. (POW) (WIA) was an American military officer who served as a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and commanded the 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron, a Tuskegee Airmen unit. McDaniels also served as the Commandant of Cadets at Tuskegee Army Airfield. He fought in World War II and was briefly held as a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany.
Vernon V. Haywood was a U.S. Army Air Force officer, combat fighter pilot/jet pilot, and commanding officer of the 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron, a component of the Tuskegee Airmen.