Mohana Singh becomes first woman fighter pilot in LCA Tejas fighter fleet

Sep 18, 2024 11:44 AM IST

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Mohana Singh participated in the recent exercise 'Tarang Shakti' in Jodhpur, where she was part of the historic flight by three vice chiefs of the three forces.

Squadron leader Mohana Singh made history after becoming the first woman fighter pilot to join the Indian Air Force's elite 18 'Flying Bullets' squadron, operating India's indigenously 'Made in India' LCA Tejas fighter jet's squadron, ANI reported on Tuesday.

Squadron Leader Mohana Singh in a MiG-21 Bison at the Nal airbase near Bikaner.(HT file)

Mohana Singh was part of the recent exercise, 'Tarang Shakti' in Jodhpur, where she was part of the historic flight by three vice chiefs of the three forces.

She was seen instructing the Indian Army and Navy vice chiefs on the flight in the LCA Tejas fighter jet.

While Air Force vice chief Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh flew solo in the LCA Tejas fighter variant, the other two vice chiefs – Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani and vice admiral Krishna Swaminathan – flew the trainer variants with two fighter pilots.

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The exercise was seen as one of the biggest messages to support “Make in India” by the defence forces in a joint manner, according to ANI.

Mohana Singh made history in 2016 after she, along with Bhawna Kanth and Avni Chaturvedi, were inducted into the Indian Air Force as the first women fighter pilots.

While women pilots have been flying helicopters and transport aircraft since 1991 in the IAF, it was only in 2016 when the government decided to allow women into fighter jet cockpits.

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Squadron leader Bhawna Kanth and Squadron leader Avni Chaturvedi are now flying the Su-30 MKI fighter jets in the western desert.

Up until recently, Mohana Singh was flying the MiG-21s and was recently posted to the LCA squadron deployed in Naliya air base in the Gujarat sector along the border with Pakistan.

Mohana Singh comes from Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. Her grandfather was a flight gunner in Aviation Research Centre and father is a warrant officer in the IAF.