Who is Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia, the Indian Navy's first woman fighter pilot?

New Delhi: Shattering the barriers and paving way for a new era of women fighter pilots in the Indian Navy, Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia became the first woman to be steamed into the fighter stream of Naval Aviation in the country.

She will be flying the Russian -origin fighter aircraft – Mig-29K that the Indian Navy is currently operating. It must be noted that the navy is also in the process of procuring French-origin Rafale (M), which would be deployed on the aircraft carrier – INS Vikran.

 

Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia is the first woman to be inducted into the @IndianNavy’s fighter pilot stream.

She will be flying MiG-29K aircraft

Along with Lieutenant Atul Kumar Dhull, She is graduated as part of the 2nd Basic Hawk Conversion Course at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam pic.twitter.com/Ep2yS1BNNb

— Anish Singh (@anishsingh21) July 4, 2025

 

It is expected that the Indian Navy would start receiving Rafale (M) from 2028 and conclude by 2030. The navy has inked a contract to procure 26 Rafale (M) from French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation in April 2025.

Indian Navy spokesperson Captain Vivek Madhwal said: “She has been graduated as part of the Second Basic Hawk Conversion Course at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam,” adding that Astha Poonia received the prestigious ‘Wings of Gold’ from Rear Admiral Janak Bevli, ACNS (Air). Lieutenant Atul Kumar Dhull also received the ‘Wings of Gold’ from RAdm Bevli.

Who is Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia?

She completed her training on the Hawk 132 advanced jet trainer, which prepares pilots for high-level combat skills.

Madhwal further stated that the Indian Navy has already inducted women officers as Pilots and Naval Air Operations Officers in MR 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.”

Women Breaking Barriers Across Armed Forces

In recent decades, the Indian Armed Forces have seen a significant rise in the participation of women. According to official data presented in the Lok Sabha last year, over 11,000 women are currently serving across the three services, with the Indian Army accounting for the largest share.

In 2016, the Indian Air Force breached the stream of combat flying and commissioned the first batch of three women officers — Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh — into the fighter stream. The Indian Navy opened all branches, including submarines and aviation, in 2022 for women officers, with several already serving onboard ships and in aviation roles.

Few years back, the Indian Army began inducting women at the soldier level in the Corps of Military Police, and around 1,700 women officers currently serve across various arms and services. Except the combat stream, including infantry, armoured and mechanized infantry, all arms and services are now opened for the women officers.

As of now, the Indian Air Force has a total of 20 women fighter pilots, as per the latest data available.