E-Paper
Navy assigns first woman officer to fighter stream
Aastha Poonia, who is in her early 20s, will fly Hawk advanced jet trainers for another year before she can qualify on the MiG-29K fighters
Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia has become the first woman officer in the Indian Navy to be assigned to the naval aviation fighter stream, the navy said on Friday.
Poonia, who is in her early 20s, will fly Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJT) for another year before she can qualify on the MiG-29K fighters that operate from the navy’s aircraft carriers, a demanding job due to space constraints, high speeds, and a constantly moving platform, officials aware of the matter said.
“SLt 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,” the navy said in a statement.
Poonia opted to join the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala through the short-service commission entry after completing her BTech. She did her initial training at the naval academy before moving to Air Force Academy, Dundigal for basic flying training on Pilatus PC-7 Mk II aircraft and then flew the Hawk AJT at INS Dega in Visakhapatnam in the second stage of training.
The navy said it proudly celebrated the graduation of the Second Basic Hawk Conversion Course at INS Dega on July 3. “Lieutenant Atul Kumar Dhull and Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia received the prestigious ‘Wings of Gold’ from Rear Admiral Janak Bevli, ACNS (Air).”
Poonia will fly Hawks before she can possibly qualify on the MiG-29, which the officer will then fly from ashore for a few months before she can be assigned to an aircraft carrier for qualifying to operate from there, the officials said, asking not to be named.
“Indian Navy has already inducted women officers as pilots and naval air operations officers in maritime reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters. Streaming of SLt Aastha Poonia into the fighter stream highlights the Indian Navy’s commitment towards gender inclusivity in naval aviation and promoting Nari Shakti, fostering a culture of equality and opportunity,” the statement added.
To be sure, women officers in the Indian Air Force are already flying fighter planes. IAF, the world’s fourth largest air force, currently accounts for around 25 women fighter pilots. The service opened its fighter stream to women, a watershed in India’s military history, in 2016.
The armed forces have opened all frontiers for women and are giving them opportunities on a par with their male counterparts. Women are being assigned central roles like men – they are flying fighter planes, serving on board warships, being inducted in the personnel below officer rank (PBOR) cadre, eligible for permanent commission, and were made eligible to join the National Defence Academy three years ago.
But tanks and combat positions in infantry are still no-go zones for women in the army.
