A Trailblazing Journey

Born in January 1992 in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, Mohana Singh comes from a family with a rich military heritage. Her father, Pratap Singh Jitarwal, is a retired Master Warrant Officer in the IAF, and her grandfather was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra for his service. Growing up in such an environment, Singh developed an early ambition to become a fighter pilot. In 2016, she, along with Avani Chaturvedi and Bhawana Kanth, made history by becoming the first women to be inducted into the IAF's fighter pilot program. Mohana Singh reached another significant milestone in 2019, when she became the first woman fighter pilot in the IAF to gain full operational status on the Hawk Mk.132 advanced jet trainer. By this time, she had accumulated over 380 hours of incident-free flight experience, excelling in both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions. According to the IAF, "She has participated in numerous practice missions, including rocket firing, gun strafing, and high-caliber bomb dropping, and has taken part in several high-level Air Force exercises."

Her latest accomplishment is transitioning from flying MiG-21s to joining the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) squadron at the Naliya airbase in Gujarat. Located near the Pakistan border, the Naliya base plays a vital role in maintaining India’s defense capabilities. The Tejas, a symbol of India's growing self-reliance in defense technology, is a cutting-edge fighter jet. Singh’s historic flight as part of the ‘Tarang Shakti’ exercise, which included working closely with the Army and Navy Vice Chiefs, highlights her key role in India’s evolving defense landscape.