India’s Trailblazing Woman Fighter Pilot Sets Her Sights on Space

Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, India’s only woman Rafale fighter pilot, is charting a bold course from the skies to the stars, as she sets her sights on becoming an astronaut in the near future.

Reflecting on her childhood visit to the Air Force Museum in New Delhi, Singh, now 29, told AFP, “This is where my adventure began.” That moment — when she first laid eyes on a plane — sparked a dream that would eventually make her a pioneer in India’s fast-evolving defence forces.

Since women were first inducted as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2015, Singh has broken barriers to become the first Indian woman to fly the French-made Rafale jets. “There have been many of us,” she said, emphasizing how growing opportunities for women reflect both societal progress and personal ambition. “We can now realise our dreams.”

Singh, who hails from the sacred city of Varanasi and is married to a fellow fighter pilot, represents a modern face of the IAF, which is undergoing a major overhaul. Last month, India signed a multi-billion dollar deal to acquire 26 additional Rafales from France’s Dassault Aviation, on top of the 36 already procured — part of efforts to modernize its ageing fleet and enhance combat readiness amid tensions with Pakistan and China.

The pilot acknowledged the role of her family, especially her mother, in fostering her independence and determination. “She didn’t just want me to be educated — she wanted me to be independent,” Singh said.

India now has more than 1,600 women officers in the IAF, including several pilots, and also boasts the world’s highest proportion of female commercial pilots — about 14 percent.

Singh recounted her early flying days, from initial nerves to the thrill of flying solo, first in the Soviet-era MiG-21 and later in the state-of-the-art Rafale. “Flying it is exhilarating… the cockpit feels like it was designed for you,” she said.

Singh’s ambitions don’t stop at Earth’s atmosphere. With India preparing for its first manned space mission, she has applied for test pilot training — a key stepping stone for astronauts.

“I want to be an astronaut,” she said confidently. “I succeeded in a field long reserved for men. That shows women can succeed anywhere. So let’s hope.”