Lieutenant Mohana Singh Jitarwal And Her Inspiring Journey As One Of India’s First Female Fighter Pilots

Amid these difficult times, it’s better to refill your energy by tuning into some inspirational stories. While some stories will motivate you to take the first step, a few others will be a guiding light for you. And we have got you all covered here. Saying so, today we are introducing the unconventional story of Mohana Singh Jitarwal, one of India’s first female fighter pilots. Her determined goal helped her being one of the most qualified personnel of the Indian Air Force. 

Mohana Singh hails from a family of air force heroes. Her grandfather Ladu Ram Jat served the Indian air force in the late 40s. He held his post at the Aviation Research center as an aerial gunner with the IAF. During the 1948 Indo-Pakistan war, Jat was martyred in air combat and was honoured with the prestigious ‘Vir Chakra’.

On the other hand, Mohana’s father served as the warrant officer for the Indian Air Force. And thus serving the nation has been her focus since her childhood. Mohana joined the Indian Air Force school in New Delhi and completed her schooling. Later on, she moved to Amritsar for graduation and completed her BTech in Electronics and Communication.

It was in June 2016 that a new and notable chapter in Mohana’s life began. After a series of discussions, the government had decided to open a fighter stream in IAF for women on an experimental basis. And that’s how Mohana took a big leap in her life. She was declared as one of the first women combat pilots and thus got inducted into the fighter squadron of the air force.

Alongside Mohana, Avani Chaturvedi and Bhawana Kanth were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. In 2018, the three air fighters took solo flights in MIG-21. And on the occasion of International Women’s Day last year, Mohana was presented with ‘Nari Shakti Puruskar’. In many of her interviews, she often urges people to follow their dreams and take the important first step.

Meanwhile, stay tuned to ZEE5 for more updates.