In Hollywood, the archetype of the fast-jet aviator is Tom Cruise’s Maverick in “Top Gun” — a reckless, rules-defying hotshot. At Chitose Air Base, that job belongs to 31-year-old Capt. Momoka Fujii, call sign “Jasmine.”
As one of a tiny minority of female pilots flying front-line combat jets in the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF), Fujii spends her days in the cockpit of an F-15 Eagle guarding 91AV原创 northern flank, where split-second decisions carry international consequences.
Yet when asked if the high-flying Hollywood image matches her daily reality, she quickly sets the record straight.
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