Admiral Janak Bevli is handing over wings of gold to Sub Lt Aastha Poonia

Indian Navy on Friday finally joined two other services — Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army — to have women fighter pilots.

Sub Lt Aastha Poonia became the first woman to be inducted into the fighter stream of Naval Aviation, shattering barriers and adding to the nari shakti initiative of the Indian Navy.

Sub Lieutenant Astha Poonia along with Lieutenant Atul Kumar Dhull received the prestigious ‘ Wings of Gold ’ from Rear Admiral Janak Bevli, ACNS (Air) on Thursday, a Navy spokesperson said.

This was part of Indian Navy’s celebration of graduation of the Second Basic Hawk Conversion Course at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.

“Streaming of Sub Lt 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 spokesperson remarked.

Indian Navy has already inducted women officers as Pilots and Naval Air Operations Officers in MR aircraft and helicopters.

The IAF was the first of the tri-services to accommodate women in its fighter stream in 2016, taking the tally to 20 as of now. The women pilots are flying aircraft such as the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29s, and MiG-21 Bison, besides copters.

The Indian Army Aviation Corps allowed women pilots only in 2021. The first woman combat aviator in the Army Aviation Corps was Major Abhilasha.

The Naval Air Arm’s capability is set to grow to 400 aircrafts over the next two decades, with induction of 26 Rafale M in batches scheduled to start from mid-2028 and get completed in 2030.

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Published on July 4, 2025