Sub Lieutenant Astha Poonia Becomes Navy’s 1st Woman Fighter Pilot

Sub Lieutenant Astha Poonia has become the first women fighter pilot in the Indian Navy after she passed the Basic Hawk Conversion course.. 

Sub-Lieutenant Astha Poonia and Lieutenant Atul Kumar Dhull were awarded the ceremonial  ‘Wings of Gold’ by Rear Admiral Janak Bevli, ACNS (Air), in a ceremony at the INS Dega base on 3rd July 2025.

The Wings of Gold is a badge given to Naval aviators, signifying that the person has completed the training and is a qualified pilot.

Women have been commissioned as helicopter pilots and deployed to fly the naval maritime reconnaissance Dornier aircraft, but till now, there have been no women fighter pilots.

Fighter Aircrafts of the Indian Navy 

The Indian Navy currently has Mig 29K fighter aircraft that is deployed on its aircraft carrier   INS Vikramaditya and the indigenously developed INS Vikrant.

The government of India has recently signed an agreement with the French aerospace company Dassault Aviation to buy 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft.

These aircraft will replace the Russian-built MiG-29 K.

Sub-Lieutenant Astha Poonia is likely to fly Mig 29K as the first delivery of the Rafale plane is expected in late 2029.

Women Pilots in the Armed Forces  

Till 1992, women were recruited only in the medical wings of the Indian Navy. 

For the first time, three women pilots, Lieutenant Divya Sharma, Lieutenant Shubhangi Swaroop, and Lieutenant Shivangi, were inducted as Dornier Maritime reconnaissance pilots in 2020.

First woman helicopter pilot of the Indian Navy - Sub Lieutenant Anamika B. Rajeev, in June 2024.

Indian Air Force 

First women pilot commissioned in 2018 -  Avani Chaturvedi of Madhya Pradesh, Mohana Singh of Rajasthan and Bhavana Kanth as fighter pilots.. 

First Solo flight in Mig -21 -  Avani Chaturvedi in 2018. 

First Woman to fly over Siachen - Helicopter pilot, Wing Commander Namrita Chandi of the Indian Air Force on 10 February 2001. 

About INS Dega Base 

The INS Dega is a Naval Air Station of the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

INS Dega was formally commissioned by Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas in 1991.

It is primarily an air force station of the Eastern Naval Command, but it also has a civilian enclave where civilian flights operate. 

The civilian enclave is known as the Visakhapatnam International Airport.

Also Read: Govt approves 26 Rafale M fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy