The little girl who once “gawked” at aircraft in awe at New Delhi’s Air Force Museum is now one of India’s top fighter pilots. Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, 29, proudly serves as the only woman flying Rafale jets in the Indian Air Force (IAF)—a remarkable journey that began nearly two decades ago.
“This is where my adventure began,” she said in an AFP interview, recalling her very first childhood experience with a plane. That was the moment she remembered that she “knew that I wanted to become a pilot.”
Breaking the Cockpit Ceiling
Women entered the IAF’s fighter pilot cockpit only in 2015, years after being inducted in other roles. Ms Singh is one of the first to take to the skies through that newly opened door, representing personal drive as well as societal change.
“There have been many of us,” she said. “This not only reflects modernisation (of our society) but also the fact that we can now realise our dreams.”
Singh’s path has not been smooth. Born in Varanasi, she needed to perform well in both studies and sports to make it to the Indian Air Force. She credits her mother. “My mother was a great source of inspiration as she didn’t just want me educated — she wanted me to be independent, and backed all my endeavours,” she said.
The Rafale Leap
Shivangi Singh was the first Indian woman to pilot the Rafale fighter aircraft, a prime symbol of India’s defence upgradation. In the previous month, India signed a multi-billion-dollar contract for 26 additional Rafales with Dassault Aviation, bringing the current fleet to 36. These procurements are urgent as India plans to replace its aging MiG fleet and remain competitive with the regional threat.
The context of this agreement is grim. Hostilities have intensified with Pakistan in the wake of the recent Pahalgam terror attack, the most fatal in Kashmir in 25 years. India has also kept China on its guard, particularly in the aftermath of the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.
Aiming for the Final Frontier
Singh’s flying career started with MiG-21s, and she recalls vividly her very first solo flight. “I realised how much skill it takes to control” the plane, she said. Her nervousness gradually gave way to thrill, particularly when she flew solo for the first time.
Her ambitions, however, go beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. “I want to be an astronaut,” she stated. With India gearing up for its first manned space mission, Singh has already submitted an application for test pilot training, a crucial step towards spaceflight.
“I succeeded in a field that was long dominated by men, and if I succeeded, then women can now work in any field,” she asserted firmly.
Role Model for a Modern India
As of 2023, India’s Air Force had over 1,600 women officers. Additionally, India has the largest percentage of women commercial pilots in the world—about 14 percent. Shivangi Singh is a potent symbol of this change, demonstrating that no horizon is too distant.
As Singh herself quips, “Let’s hope”—words full of hope for the skies, and maybe one day, the stars.
