Meet Sub Lt Aastha Poonia: India's first woman fighter pilot trainee of Indian Navy

Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia created history by becoming the first woman to be inducted into the fighter stream of naval aviation of Indian Navy, reported PTI on Friday.

Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia will now undergo training to qualify as a fighter pilot. She may fly the MiG-29K soon.

Earlier on 3 July, Sub Lieutenant Poonia and Lieutenant Atul Kumar Dhull received the prestigious 'Wings of Gold' from Rear Admiral Janak Bevli, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air) at the winging ceremony, the defence ministry said in a statement.

"Sub Lt Aastha Poonia becomes the first woman to be streamed into the fighter stream of naval aviation, shattering barriers and paving way for a new era of women fighter pilots in the Navy," it said.

The Indian Navy celebrated the graduation of the Second Basic Hawk Conversion Course at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.

Earlier, the Indian Navy had inducted women officers as pilots and naval air operations officers in Maritime Reconnaissance (MR) aircraft and helicopters.

With Sub Lt Aastha Poonia's streaming into the fighter stream, Indian Navy's commitment towards "gender inclusivity in naval aviation" has been highlighted.

Since 2020, the Indian Navy has reported a 15 percent increase in the recruitment of female officers. The progress aligns with India's broader "Nari Shakti" initiative, reflecting an international trend towards enhancing gender diversity within military forces.

Women fighter pilots in other streams:

The Indian Air Force was the first among the tri-services to accommodate women in its fighter stream in 2016. The tally has reached 20 as of now. The women fighter pilots in the IAF fly aircraft such as the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29s, and MiG-21 Bison, as well as copters.

In 2021, the Indian Army Aviation Corps allowed women pilots and Major Abhilasha was the first woman combat aviator in the Army Aviation Corps.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy is procuring 26 French-origin Rafale-Marine fighter jets from Dassault aviation. As per details, the IAF has been operating 36 Rafales, and the future induction of Navy's Rafales would make India's Rafale fleet a total of 52 jets.

With agency inputs.