Flt Lt Shivangi Singh, 1st woman fighter pilot to fly Rafale
NEW DELHI : Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh is set to become India’s first woman fighter pilot to fly the Rafale aircraft that was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force on September 10, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Singh, who hails from Varanasi, is currently being trained to fly IAF’s newest fighter based in Ambala. She is undergoing conversion training to fly the Rafale jet and will soon join the Ambala-based No. 17 squadron, also known as “Golden Arrows.”
The officer, who is one of 10 women fighter pilots, joined the IAF in 2017. After joining, she has been flying the MiG-21 Bison aircraft and was till recently serving at a fighter base in Rajasthan, the officials added on condition of anonymity.
Ten women have been commissioned as fighter pilots after the experimental scheme for their induction into IAF’s combat stream was introduced in 2015, a watershed in the air force’s history. IAF is operating its Rafale jets in the Ladakh theatre where the military is on its highest state of alert, amid heightened border tensions with China. IAF’s current fleet of five Rafale fighters is fully operational and ready to undertake any mission, officials said.
India ordered 36 Rafale jets from France in a deal worth ₹59,000 crore in September 2016. The air force formally inducted the planes at the Ambala air base on September 10 though they landed at their home base on July 29. The next batch is expected to reach Ambala from France in October followed by a third batch in December.
PARENTS ELATED VARANASI: “From the labyrinthian alleys of the ancient city of Kashi, my daughter Shivangi has gone a long way to script history. She will now soar in the sky, flying the Rafale jet. I am very happy,” said Seema Singh as she came to know that flight lieutenant Shivangi Singh would now fly the Rafale. To note, flight lieutenant Shivangi Singh is the first woman pilot of the Rafale squadron.
Shivangi’s parents, who live in Fulwariya area here, came to know about the achievement of their daughter through the news on a website. Shivangi’s mother is a housewife and father Kumareshwar Singh is a businessman. Her brother Mayank is a student of Class 12 and wants to join the Army. “My daughter Shivangi has been a very good student since her childhood. She scored above 90 per cent in Classes 10 and 12 and finally realized her dreams to fly high in the sky. We are proud of her,” said her mother.