Ayesha Farooq () is a Pakistani

fighter pilot A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a Military aviation, military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, Air-to-ground weaponry, air-to-ground combat and sometimes Electronic-warfare aircraft, electronic warfare while in the cockpit of ...

from Hasilpur, Bahawalpur District, who was the first woman to become a fighter pilot in the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

(PAF). 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 The Chengdu J-7 (wikt:歼, Chinese: 歼-7; third generation export version F-7; NATO reporting name: Fishcan) is a People's Republic of China, Chinese fighter aircraft. It is a licensed production, license-built version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gur ...

fighter jet alongside her 24 male colleagues in 20th Squadron . 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. She is one of 19 women to have become pilots in the PAF since the 2000s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farooq, Ayesha Living people 1987 births Pakistan Air Force officers Women in 21st-century warfare Pakistani women aviators Pakistani female military officers Pakistani test pilots