The Italian navy’s first female strike fighter pilot received her Wings of Gold after completing undergraduate flight training with the “Tigers” of Training Squadron (VT) 9 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, Mississippi, March 11. Italian navy Ensign Erika Raballo was designated a naval aviator during a small winging ceremony at the base chapel with five classmates marking a significant milestone in Italian and U.S. Naval Aviation history and further strengthening the partnership between the two nations.

“We are all incredibly proud of Ensign Raballo,” VT-9 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Meghan Angermann said. “She has proven she is a capable, competent warfighter ready to take her strike aviation training to the next level. She and her classmates worked hard to get to this point and what they can and will accomplish in the future is limitless.”