The first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force to fly the Rafale fighter jet is part of the Indian Air Force contingent participating in the multinational exercise Orion in France. Indian Air Force officials said that the officers are in France to participate in the multinational exercise where India has sent its Rafale aircraft for the first time outside the country.
The Indian Air Force had sent a woman fighter pilot for the first time in an international exercise in January this year, when Squadron Leader Avani Chaturvedi went to Japan for exercise Dharma Guardian. Shivangi Singh joined the Indian Air Force in 2017 and joined the second batch of women fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force. Before flying Rafale, Shivangi had also flown MiG-21 Bison aircraft. Shivangi hails from Varanasi and is part of the Golden Arrows Squadron of the IAF based in Ambala, Punjab.
In 2020, Shivangi Singh became the first woman fighter pilot to fly Rafale after being selected as a Rafale pilot after a rigorous selection process.
6 aircraft sent by India
Four Rafale jets, two C-17 aircraft and two IL-78 aircraft have been sent to India for a multinational air exercise for about three weeks at Mont de Marsan military base in France. This is the first foreign exercise for Rafale aircraft inducted into the Indian Air Force. Apart from India and France, the Air Force of Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, UK, Spain and USA are also participating in this exercise.
The participation during this exercise will further enrich the working style and perception of the Indian Air Force by imbibing the best practices from the Air Forces of other countries.
