Mariam al-Mansouri

Before the Syrian airstrikes, al-Mansouri was profiled in The National, an Abu Dhabi newspaper, in June 2014. In July 2014, CNN interviewed her about her career in the UAE Air Force. She said she aspired to become a pilot since high school, but had to wait until women were permitted. In the meantime, she earned her degree and worked for the army general staff in other capacities.

The United Arab Emirates were among the five Arab allies that joined the United States in the 2014 military intervention against ISIS in Syria in 2014 to beat back ISIS forces, and were first to participate. In an interview with MSNBC, Yousef Al Otaiba, Emirati ambassador to the United States, recounted that when U.S. Air Force tanker pilots radioed in to speak with the UAE mission during air refueling and heard al-Mansouri's voice, they were initially surprised and silent for a short time. Al Otaiba called her a "fully qualified, highly trained, combat-ready pilot and wing leader". He regards al-Mansouri as a role model for women in Islamic and Arab states. Al Otaiba said, "I think it's important for us moderate Arabs, moderate Muslims, to step up and say: 'this is a threat against us'".

Al-Mansouri served in the army before starting in flight training. She attended the Khalifa bin Zayed Air College of the United Arab Emirates Air Force for pilots, graduating in 2007. She received the Mohammed bin Rashid Pride of the Emirates medal for excellence in her field.

Mariam al-Mansouri (Arabic: مريم المنصوري ‎), (born 1979 in Abu Dhabi), is the first female fighter pilot of the United Arab Emirates. She was one of the first women to join the United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) academy, graduating in 2007. She flies an F-16 Fighting Falcon and led UAE mission airstrikes against ISIS over Syria.