Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, who was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2017 as part of second batch of female fighter pilots, was on September 22 announced as the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s Rafale jets squadron. The announcement comes at a time when the forces are expediting their operational readiness with Rafale. Flt Lt Shivangi, according to the statement issued by the Defence Ministry, would be commissioned into the 17 Squadron, ‘Golden Arrows’ in Ambala. She is currently a part of the fighter pilot units stationed at the border base in Rajasthan. She is currently flying a MiG-21 Bison, the oldest combat aircraft in the force’s inventory. She has been undergoing conversion training, the course pilots undertake when they switch from flying one aircraft to another, since August. Flt Lt Singh is posted at the same base as Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who rose to national fame with his participation in the dogfight between the Indian & Pakistani air forces in February 2019, and his subsequent 60-hour captivity across the border. Reportedly, Wing Commander Varthaman was Singh’s flying instructor.

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