Major Prajakta Desai is a former Indian Army officer and the first woman to become a UAV Observer Pilot in the Indian Army. Commissioned in 2011 from OTA Chennai, she served for over a decade across the Army Air Defence and Army Aviation Corps.

Inspired by the film Border at age 8 and trained through the NCC, she defied stereotypes to lead in male-dominated roles, including Air Traffic Control and UAV operations.

A recipient of the Ahilyadevi Holkar National Award, she’s also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, mountaineer, skydiver, and motivational speaker. She retired in 2021 and continues to inspire through talks and outreach.