Made history! Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia became the first female fighter pilot in the Indian Navy

On 4 July 2025, Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia created history. Aastha Poonia, a resident of Meerut, has got the honor of becoming the first female fighter pilot of the Indian Navy. This was announced at the ‘Winging Ceremony’ held at INS Dega in Visakhapatnam. On this day she was awarded the ‘Wings of Gold’ which is considered the biggest mark of pride for any naval pilot.

Aastha Poonia becomes the first female fighter pilot in Indian Navy

Aastha will now train in the fighter pilot stream. Where for the next one year she will be trained to fly state-of-the-art fighter aircraft like MiG-29K and Rafale-M. If everything goes according to plan. So she can become the first woman in the country to operate from an aircraft carrier in the future.

Has no connection with any army background

Sub Lieutenant Aastha’s background is also special because she has no army background. After completing her engineering studies, she chose the Navy and reached here. Earlier, women were definitely present in the Navy as helicopter pilots or air operation officers. But this door of the fighter stream has opened for the first time. And Aastha has taken that first step.

An example for thousands of girls

She and Lieutenant Atul Kumar Dhul were given this honor in the presence of Rear Admiral Janak Bewali. This signal from the Navy is clear. Now women officers will not only talk about equality. Rather, they will be seen standing at the forefront.

This achievement of Aastha Poonia on one hand gives a new identity to ‘Nari Shakti’. At the same time, it also raises hope for thousands of girls who want to wear a uniform and fly for the country.