Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, who is a part of IAF’s Golden Arrows squadron, Ambala has now clinched a prestigious milestone by becoming first women pilot to fly the Rafale fighter aircraft in multi-national Orion war exercise in France. Prior to flying Rafale Shivangi had flown the MiG-21 Bison aircraft.
Shivangi shared her experience with media about flying the fighter aircraft over the Ladakh area amid the stand-off with China. “I have flown in that area and the aircraft performed as expected and we have carried out all the missions that were entitled to us with utmost ease. I feel proud to represent the Indian Airforce in the Orion exercise held in France. It was a great experience to meet and mingle with the fighter pilots of different countries. North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) and major countries including US, UK, and France also participated in the exercise. I got an opportunity to learn about the methods of flying from the pilots of different countries and how the atmosphere differs from us. For me it’s a great experience”.
Shivangi Singh who hailed from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh joined IAF in 2017. She was then commissioned into the IAF’s second batch of woman fighter pilots. She became the first women Rafale fighter pilot after following a stringent process in 2020. The first batch of Rafale fighter jets arrived in India and delivered to IAF in July 29, 2020. So far 36 Rafale fighter jets landed in India from France last year. Lieutenant Shivangi is an inspiration for women’s in India to come out of their comfort zones and make their identity.
