IAF father-daughter duo creates history by flying fighter jets in same formation

A father-daughter duo has created history in the Indian Air Force (IAF), when they flew in the same formation on May 30, 2022. 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.

Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma and his daughter Ananya flew in the same formation Hawk-132 aircraft at Air Force Station Bidar, where Flying Officer Ananya Sharma is undergoing her training before she graduates onto faster and more superior fighter aircraft of the IAF.

It was the mission where the two were more than just father and daughter. "They were comrades, who had full faith in each other as fellow wingmen would," the IAf release stated.

Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF in 1989. He has had extensive experience of fighter operations, having commanded a Mig-21 squadron as well as a frontline fighter station. Having completed her B Tech in Electronics and Communication, Ananya was selected for training for the flying branch of IAF. She was commissioned as a fighter pilot in December 2021.

With the induction of the first batch of three women pilots, the fighter stream of the IAF was opened for women in 2016.