IAF’s Shivangi Singh earns flying instructor badge; Pakistan’s capture claim busted with viral pictures

Shivangi Singh is India's first woman pilot to fly the Rafale fighter jet

Pakistan’s propaganda suffered yet another blow on Friday after pictures of Squadron leader Shivangi Singh, India’s first woman Rafale pilot, went viral across social media platforms.

The Pakistani media had falsely claimed she was captured during Operation Sindoor between May 7 to 10, after her jet was shot down near Sialkot.

In reality, she was felicitated by Air Marshal Tejbir Singh, SASO of the IAF Training Command, at the Flying Instructors School in Tambaram, Tamil Nadu.

Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, a native of Varanasi and India’s first woman Rafale pilot, received her Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) badge on Thursday (October 10) at Tambaram, Tamil Nadu. With this, she is now certified to train new fighter pilots, officials told Hindustan Times.

A total of 59 officers representing the IAF, other armed services, and partner countries were conferred with the coveted badge at the ceremony.

Valedictory ceremony for the 159th #QFIC was conducted at FIS AFS Tambaram on 09 Oct 25. Air Mshl Tejbir Singh, SASO TC IAF was the Chief Guest. 59 officers from IAF, sister services & friendly foreign countries were conferred the coveted ‘#QualifiedFlyingInstructor’ badge. pic.twitter.com/WUnVEzt22a

— TRACOMIAF_CMCC (@tracomiaf) October 10, 2025

Who is Shivangi Singh?

Shivangi Singh, the trailblazing first woman to fly India’s Rafale jet, previously served with the Ambala-based Golden Arrows Squadron.

She was instrumental in Operation Sindoor, in which the IAF forcefully responded to Pakistan’s airspace incursions following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

Admired for her courage and professionalism, she continues to motivate a new generation of youth-- especially women -- to take up combat duties in the armed forces.

One of around 20 women fighter pilots in the IAF, the officer joined the force in 2017 and began her career flying the MiG-21 Bison. This September, the IAF retired the last of its legendary Soviet-origin MiG-21 jets in an emotional ceremony celebrating the aircraft’s decades of distinguished service and its vital role in shaping India’s air strength.