Ayesha Farooq (Urdu: عائشہ فاروق) is a Pakistani fighter pilot from Hasilpur, Bahawalpur District, who was the first woman to become a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).[1][2]
Ayesha Farooq | |
|---|---|
عائشہ فاروق | |
| Born | Hasilpur, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Aviation career | |
| First flight | 2013 Chengdu J-7 |
| Air force |  Pakistan Air Force |
| Rank |  Flight Lieutenant, Squadron Leader |
In 2013, she became the first Pakistani female fighter pilot after topping the final exams to qualify. She now flies missions in a Chinese-made Chengdu J-7 fighter jet alongside her 24 male colleagues in 20th Squadron .[3] Of the 6 current female fighter pilots in the PAF, Flight Lieutenant Ayesha is the only one qualified for combat and to fly sorties along the border.[4]
She is one of 19 women to have become pilots in the PAF since the 2000s.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Meet Ayesha Farooq, Pakistan's only female war-ready fighter pilot". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
- ^ "Pakistan fighter pilot Ayesha Farooq wins battle of gender, now she's ready for war". India.com. 13 June 2013. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ^ Crilly, Rob (2 September 2013). "I'm ready for war, says first female Pakistani pilot Ayesha Farooq". India.com. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ^ "Pride of Pakistan: Ayesha Farooq". Daily Times. 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
- ^ "Ayesha Farooq | Special Lecture Series | The Aga Khan University". www.aku.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-24.