Father-Daughter Duo Create History by Flying Hawk Sortie Together in Karnataka

The duo earned praise on social media from IAF officers, current and retired.

Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma posing with his daughter, Flying Officer Ananya Sharma, in front of an IAF jet in Karnataka's Bidar.

(Photo: Twitter)

A photo that shows an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer posing with his daughter, who is also a fighter pilot, has taken the internet by storm.

According to the IAF, Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma flew a Hawk sortie with his daughter, Flying Officer Ananya Sharma, in Karnataka's Bidar. The IAF said that the duo had created history by flying in the same formation of Hawk-132 aircraft.

"There has not been any previous instance in the IAF where a father and his daughter were part of the same fighter formation for a mission. It was the mission where Air Cmde Sanjay and Fg Offr Ananya were more than just father and daughter. They were comrades, who had full faith in each other as fellow wingmen would," the IAF said.

The photos uploaded on social media show the father and daughter posing in front of a fighter jet.

Junior Sharma is currently undergoing training in Bidar. Once her training ends, she will graduate onto a faster and technologically superior IAF jet.

Air Marshal (retd) PK Roy commended the duo, saying, "Hope to see many more in (the) future."

Air Commodore Sharma was commissioned in the IAF's fighter stream in 1989.

His daughter, on the other hand, was commissioned as a fighter pilot in December last year. This comes five years after the IAF decided to accept female fighter pilots into the fighter squadron.

'Like Father Like Daughter': Netizens React

Congratulations poured in for the father-daughter duo, with many netizens impressed by the feat.