Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather becomes first Indian pilot to fly Rafale jets

Rafale

India's Air Attache to France, Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, became the first pilot to see off the batch of Rafale jets from France to India on July 27. He was previously associated with the weaponisation of the Rafale aircraft for acclimatization to Indian requirements, News18 reported. 

Among other things, he is a decorated flying officer. On December 17, 1988, he was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot.  He later moved on to become flight lieutenant in 1993, wing commander in 2004, group captain in 2016 and air commodore in 2019, the report said.

Born in the south of Kashmir in Anantnag district, Rather was born to middle-class parents and has three sisters. Hilal's father, late Mohammad Abdullah Rather, retired as Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy SP) in the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police department.