Republic day 2022: First Indian woman pilot of Rafale jet

Shivangi Singh, India’s first female pilot to fly a Rafale fighter jet, was part of the Indian Air Force tableau at Wednesday’s Republic Day celebration. Shivangi is the second female fighter jet pilot to be part of the IAF tableau, following Bhawna Kanth, who became the first female fighter jet pilot to be part of the IAF tableau.

The Press Information Bureau Tweeted about her: 

Country's first woman Rafale fighter jet pilot Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh is a part of the Indian Air Force tableau as the @IAF_MCC band and marching contingent marches down the Rajpath#RepublicDay #RepublicDayIndia pic.twitter.com/n35YZ0xp4F

Country's first woman Rafale fighter jet pilot Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh is a part of the Indian Air Force tableau as the @IAF_MCC band and marching contingent marches down the Rajpath#RepublicDay #RepublicDayIndia pic.twitter.com/n35YZ0xp4F

— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 26, 2022

The Republic Day 2022 parade featured the grandest flypast in its history, with 75 aircrafts taking part in the celebrations. The Indian Air Force also showed its tableau during the parade, highlighting indigenous Tejas LCA fighter jets and the most sophisticated Rafale fighter plane. MiG-21, Gnat, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Aslesha radar, and Rafale aircraft were among the models on display.

The theme of the IAF tableau was “Indian Air Force Transforming for the Future.” The float included scaled-down versions of the Rafale fighter jet, an indigenously designed light combat helicopter (LCH), and the Aslesha MK-1 3D observation radar.

It also included a scaled-down model of the MiG-21 aircraft, which played a key part in India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war that resulted in the formation of Bangladesh, as well as a model of India’s first indigenously manufactured aircraft, the Gnat.

The first batch of Rafale fighter jets arrived on July 29, 2020, roughly four years after India and France signed an intergovernmental deal to buy 36 planes for Rs 59,000 crore. The IAF has received 32 Rafale jets so far, with four more scheduled to arrive in April.

Who is Shivangi Singh?

Shivangi Singh, a Varanasi native, joined the Indian Air Force in 2017 and was commissioned in the second batch of women fighter pilots. Prior to piloting the Rafale, she had flown MiG-21 Bison fighter plane. She is a member of the Golden Arrows squadron of the Indian Air Force, which is based out in Ambala.

On social media, proud Indians praised Shivangi and said she’s an inspiration for future generations.