Who is Mohana Singh, first woman Tejas fighter pilot
Squadron Leader Mohana Singh has made history by becoming the first woman fighter pilot to join the Indian Air Force's (IAF) elite 18 "Flying Bullets" squadron. This squadron operates India's indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter jets. Singh was recently part of a significant exercise, "Tarang Shakti," in Jodhpur, where she instructed the Indian Army and Navy vice chiefs on flight operations in the LCA Tejas fighter jet.
Singh's participation in 'Tarang Shakti' exercise
During the "Tarang Shakti" exercise, Air Force Vice Chief Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh flew solo in an LCA Tejas fighter variant. Meanwhile, the other two vice chiefs—Lieutenant general NS Raja Subramani and Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan—flew trainer variants with two fighter pilots. This exercise was seen as a significant endorsement of the "Make in India" initiative by the defense forces, reported ANI.
Singh's journey in the Indian Air Force
Singh was among the first group of three women, including Bhawna Kanth and Avni Chaturvedi, to become fighter pilots in the IAF in 2016. While women have been flying helicopters and transport aircraft since 1991, it was only in 2016 that the government allowed women into fighter jet cockpits. The IAF now has around 20 women fighter pilots since 2016.
Singh's recent posting and family background
Singh hails from Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. She was previously flying MiG-21s before her recent posting to the LCA squadron, which is deployed at Naliya air base in Gujarat along the border with Pakistan. Her grandfather served as a flight gunner in the Aviation Research Centre, while her father is a warrant officer in the IAF. In June 2019, she became the first IAF women fighter pilot to become a fully operational by day on a Hawk Mk aircraft.
