Aastha Poonia Profile: India’s First Woman Navy Fighter Pilot

Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia just made history as the first woman in the Indian Navy to join the fighter pilot ranks—a serious milestone for both naval aviation and women in the forces. Coming from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Poonia isn’t from a military family. She studied BTech, then decided to take her ambitions airborne with the Navy’s aviation wing.

On July 3, 2025, Poonia, along with Lieutenant Atul Kumar Dhull, received the coveted ‘Wings of Gold’ from Rear Admiral Janak Bevli at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam. This came after completing the rigorous Second Basic Hawk Conversion Course. Her move into the fighter pilot stream is a space that’s been mostly guys-only territory until now, showing the Navy’s real push for ‘Nari Shakti’—women power—and equal chances for everyone.

With her induction, Poonia’s set to inspire a new generation of women in uniform. Next up? She’ll be flying some of the meanest jets around—the MiG-29K or Rafale-M—right off aircraft carriers. Talk about breaking barriers.

A Historic Milestone in Naval Aviation

Yes, Poonia just made history as the first woman to enter the Navy’s fighter pilot stream. She got there after an intense training stint on Hawk Mk 132 jets, mastering all the tricky combat maneuvers you’d expect from a top-tier fighter pilot. This isn’t the Navy’s first move towards inclusion, though. Since 2022, women have been flying maritime reconnaissance planes and helicopters as both pilots and air operations officers.

Now, with her ‘Wings of Gold’ pinned on, Poonia’s diving into another year of tough training—this time, she’s gearing up for carrier-based operations, including ski-jump simulations (because landing a jet on a moving ship? Not exactly easy). The Navy’s celebrating her induction, calling it a “new chapter in naval aviation,” and social media’s buzzing with pride over her achievement.

Honestly, Poonia’s milestone puts India in step with countries like the US and Israel, where women have been flying combat jets for a while. It’s a big moment—not just for her, but for the Navy and the country, too.

Inspiring ‘Nari Shakti’ and Future Aspirations

Sub Lieutenant Poonia breaking into the fighter pilot ranks isn’t just another promotion story—it’s a headline moment for the Indian Navy’s push to get more women in uniform. That 15% spike in women officers since 2020? Not just a stat, it’s proof something’s actually shifting. The Navy’s out here making a big show of their commitment to equality, and Poonia’s right at the center, showing every young woman out there that the top jobs aren’t just for the guys anymore.

She’s not just in training for the fun of it, either. She’s gearing up to fly some serious hardware—jets that most of us only see in movies. That’s a whole new level of badassery. People are buzzing about her everywhere, especially on X (yeah, Twitter’s new name is still weird). Folks are calling her a “barrier-breaker at Mach speed”—and honestly, that feels about right.

Keywords: Aastha Poonia, Aastha Poonia Profile, Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia, India Navy first woman fighter pilot, Indian Navy gender inclusivity, Wings of Gold 2025, Nari Shakti, naval aviation milestone, MiG-29K pilot, Rafale-M pilot, women in Indian armed forces