IAF father-daughter duo create history flying Hawk AJT in same formation
New Delhi. IAF fighter pilots Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma and Flying Officer Ananya Sharma have created history by becoming the first father-daughter pair to fly in a formation of jets. They flew in a formation of of Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJTs) at the Bidar airbase in Karnataka on May 30, but the photographs surfaced on July 5.
“Father-daughter duo created history on 30 May 2022, flew in same formation of Hawk-132 ace at AirForce Stn Bidar, where Flying Officer Ananya Sharma is undergoing training before graduating onto faster & more superior fighter aircraft of @IAF_MCC,” the IAF said.
There has not been any previous instance in the IAF where a father and his daughter were part of the same formation for a mission. “They were comrades, who had full faith in each other as fellow wingmen would,” it added.
The development comes seven years after IAF decided to induct women into the fighter stream in a turning point for them.
Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF in 1989 and has had an extensive experience of fighter operations, having commanded a Mig-21 squadron as well as a frontline fighter station.
“Flying Officer Sharma is currently undergoing her training before she graduates onto faster and more superior aircraft of the IAF, The Hindu quoted an officer as saying.
Having virtually grown up in the IAF, there was absolutely no other profession that she could imagine being a part of, he added.
Having completed her B.Tech in Electronics and Communications, Ananya was commissioned into the IAF in December 2021.
