Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh has scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman fighter pilot to get the prestigious Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) badge. However, as soon as the announcement made, a Pakistani propaganda account attempted to create controversy. It claimed that the Indian Air Force had shared a digitally altered image.
Pakistani media outlets circulated false reports alleging that Squadron Leader Singh had been captured during Operation Sindoor between May 7 and 10, claiming her jet was downed near Sialkot. The fabricated narrative gained traction on social platforms in Pakistan but has now been definitively debunked.
Contrary to the false claims, Shivangi Singh was prominently present in Tamil Nadu, not in hostile custody. She was felicitated at the Flying Instructors School in Tambaram by Air Marshal Tejbir Singh, Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of the IAF Training Command.
On Thursday, October 10, she was awarded the prestigious Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) badge, confirming her role in training future fighter pilots. Officials confirmed the development to Hindustan Times.
What is the significance of her new role as a flying instructor?
With the QFI certification, Singh is now formally authorised to train new pilots transitioning to high-performance fighter aircraft. At the ceremony, a total of 59 officers from the Indian Air Force, other armed services, and friendly foreign nations received the badge. Her induction as a QFI reinforces the IAF’s expanding pool of combat-experienced instructors.
What has been Singh’s combat and operational contribution?
Singh, who hails from Varanasi, earlier flew with the Ambala-based Golden Arrows Squadron, the first unit to induct the Rafale into the IAF. She played a notable role in Operation Sindoor, during which the IAF responded forcefully to Pakistani airspace provocations in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Her presence in the operation appears to be the trigger for Pakistani misinformation targeting her.
How has Singh shaped the profile of women in combat aviation?
Joining the IAF in 2017, Shivangi Singh began her career on the MiG-21 Bison, one of India’s longest-serving fighter platforms. She is among roughly 20 women fighter pilots currently in service. Her journey from MiG-21 cockpits to Rafale fighter operations and now to instructing new pilots, has made her one of the most recognisable faces of evolving air power narrative.
Her QFI certification comes just weeks after the IAF formally retired the Soviet-origin MiG-21 fleet in September, marking the end of an era. Having flown both legacy and next-generation fighters, her career reflects the Air Force’s rapid modernisation and changing operational ethos.
Admired for her precision, composure and combat readiness, she continues to inspire young aspirants, particularly women, to enter frontline military aviation.