Marija Jovanovich
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Marija Jovanovich | |
|---|---|
 Wing Commander Marija Jovanovich in November 2022 | |
| Nickname | "Maz" |
| Born | 1982 (age 42–43) |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 2001–present |
| Rank | Group Captain |
| Commands | No. 10 Squadron RAAF (2020–23) |
| Battles / wars | Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Member of the Order of Australia Conspicuous Service Medal |
Marija Jovanovich, AM, CSM (born 1982) is an Australian military test pilot and the most senior female pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Jovanovich has over 3,300 hours of flight experience, in over 30 different types of aircraft.[1] She commanded No. 10 Squadron RAAF from December 2020 to December 2023.[2] Jovanovich is the second female pilot in RAAF’s history to take command of a flying unit.[1][3]
Born in Kruševac, Yugoslavia, in 1982, Jovanovich is the eldest of three daughters of surgeons Snežana and Aleksandar Jovanovich. The family left Yugoslavia in 1995 to escape from the Yugoslav Wars, and settled in New Zealand.[4][5] Jovanovich arrived not knowing any English. She attended high school in Auckland and first began learning to fly in a Cessna 152 at the Walsh Memorial Flying School in Matamata. In 1999, beginning with her father Aleksandar, the family began moving to Australia; Jovanovich followed later in the year, after graduating from high school.[4]