Vadodara: Vadodara’s 23-year-old Pratiksha Chauhan has secured All India Rank (AIR) 5 in the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) and been selected for the weapon system branch of the Indian Air Force (IAF), becoming one of the first women from Gujarat to rank among the top five in the exam.Inspired by her father’s Air Force legacy and driven by years of perseverance, Pratiksha overcame multiple setbacks to achieve her goal. She fell short three times at the final stage of the Service Selection Board (SSB) before being recommended on her fourth attempt by the 1 Air Force Selection Board, Dehradun. Among the 220 candidates recommended nationwide, her AIR 5 placed her among the highest-performing female candidates. She will now report for training at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad.Pratiksha completed her graduation in political science from the faculty of arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) in 2022, and later earned her LLB from the faculty of law in 2025. She was actively involved with the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Air Wing during her undergraduate years and was awarded the Best Cadet title, giving her the opportunity to represent the Gujarat Directorate at the Republic Day Camp in Jan 2021.“Being conferenced out three times during the selection process at Mysuru, Gandhinagar, and Bhopal was disheartening, but I kept going,” Pratiksha told TOI. “Watching my father wear the blue uniform left a deep impact on me. The uniform symbolised everything I aspired to become. NCC also played a huge role in shaping my personality and discipline.”Pratiksha will join the weapon system branch, which trains officers in the operation and management of various weapon systems used in IAF aircraft. After completing training in Hyderabad, officers are commissioned and posted to operational units.Her father, Dharmendra Singh Chauhan, served as a sergeant in the IAF before retiring in 2009 after 18 years of service and now works as a senior section engineer with Indian Railways. Her mother, Renu Chauhan, is a homemaker.
