New Delhi: 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.
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.
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.
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.