Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, the first female pilot of the new Rafale planes, is now flying high over France as a member of the IAF detachment taking part in the ongoing multi-nation Orion exercise there. India reportedly sent its Rafale planes for the first time. IAF sent a total of 165 people, including 17 pilots, to participate in the Orion exercise, along with four Rafale fighters, two C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlifters, two IL-78 mid-air refuelers, and four IL-78s.Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh will be the second one to be involved in an overseas exercise. Senior Squadron Leader Avni Chaturvedi was the first one who participated in the bilateral “Veer Guardian” exercise with Japan at Hyakuri airbase in January, making history as the first IAF woman pilot to fly a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter in an overseas exercise.The Orion exercise involves land and sea drills with thousands of Nato troops at a time when tensions continue to run high in Europe due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The exercise is also one of the largest-ever wargames hosted by France.Notably, there are now 17 women fighter pilots in the IAF, Squadron Leader Chaturvedi and her course-mate Bhawna Kanth now fly the Russian-origin Sukhois at the Jodhpur airbase.Where did Shivangi Singh start fromShe joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2017, Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh was commissioned into the IAFs second class of female fighter pilots. Singh, a Varanasi native, has experience flying the MiG-21 Bison. She was also a member of the IAFs Ambala, Punjab-based Golden Arrows squadron.Flight Lieutenant Singh was chosen as a Rafale pilot after a rigorous selection process, making her the first female fighter pilot to fly the aircraft in 2020.Avni Chaturvedi, another IAF Fighter pilotNow women officers are representing the nation abroad and taking part in the wargames. Avni Chaturvedi was the first female fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF), who participated in the inaugural air exercise Veer Guardian in January 2023. The exercise intended to strengthen the ties between India and Japan.Indian pilot Squadron Leader Avani Chaturvedi was born in the Madhya Pradesh district of Rewa on October 27, 1993. She and her co-workers Mohana Singh Jitarwal and Bhawana Kanth were recognised as the first female combat pilots. In June 2016, the group was accepted into a fighter squadron of the Indian Air Force. On June 18, 2016, they were formally commissioned to serve the country by Manohar Parrikar, who was the defence minister at the time.In 2018, Chaturvedi made aviation history by flying a MiG-21 by herself for the first time. Avni was promoted to the position of Flight Lieutenant in 2018.
