The Indian woman has broken another glass ceiling as the first aviator assigned to fly nuclear-capable low-flying, sea-skimming, deep penetration strike aircraft (DPSA) Jaguar in the Indian Air Force. For a force that inducted the first women fighter pilot in 2016, posting a woman to its aerial strike fleet took quite some time.
This is a significant achievement for women striving for greater parity in combat roles in the armed forces, as the fighter jet is an important pillar of India’s nuclear triad. Flying Officer Tanuska Singh will join the 14 Squadron of the IAF, which is based in Ambala and known as the “Bulls.”
Women pilots in the USAF have flown nuclear-capable aircraft like the F-15E Strike Eagle and B-2 Spirit. They have also flown combat missions in aircraft like the F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt II, including operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the French Air and Space Force women have been trained to operate fighter jets like the Rafale, which can carry nuclear payloads. Royal Air Force (UK) has also commissioned women pilots who flew aircraft such as the Tornado GR4, which was nuclear-capable, and now operate advanced jets like the Typhoon.
The Squadron has the honor of operating from a captured airfield in erstwhile East Pakistan and wreaking havoc against the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Army from their airfield in the 1971 war. It is a feat that has not been accomplished by any modern-day air force since World War II.
The Jaguars were inducted into the IAF in 1979, and their precise navigation, weapon aiming, and attack systems were a quantum leap in the technology existing in the IAF at that time.
What impressed the IAF most about the aircraft was its ability to operate from short, semi-prepared airstrips and the twin-engine, which increased its survivability.
Flying Officer Singh hails from a family serving in the armed forces. She has completed training at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Telangana, followed by specialized training on the Hawk MK 132 aircraft.
The IAF currently has 20 women fighter pilots, a number that is expected to grow as the IAF continues to encourage and support women in combat roles. Women fighter pilots in the IAF fly advanced aircraft like the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29s, and MiG-21 Bison.
The Rafale fighter jet is not officially part of India’s nuclear triad. While it is a highly advanced multi-role fighter jet and technically capable of carrying nuclear weapons, it has not yet been officially designated as part of India’s nuclear triad.
The first batch of three female fighter pilots—Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth, and Mohana Singh—were inducted into the IAF in 2016. Squadron Leader Mohana Singh later made history as the first female fighter pilot in the country to be cleared to fly the Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter in 2024.
The Jaguar That She Will Be Flying
When Flying Officer Singh joins the squadron, she will fly a Jaguar upgraded to DARIN III (Display Attack and Ranging Inertial Navigation) version.
The Darin III includes an open-system architecture mission computer, multi-functional displays, an engine and flight instrument system, a new fire control radar, a geodetic height correction system, and an inertial navigation system with satellite navigation.
The DARIN III Jaguars have also been equipped with the Israeli EL/M-2052, which improves their defensibility against electronic warfare jamming. By having multiple transceiver modules (TRM), each transmitting on a different radio frequency, the EL/M-2052 also reduces the probability of enemy radar warning receivers.
In other words, the Jaguar DARIN III would be more difficult to detect and jam.
EL/M-2052 is an advanced multi-mode radar capable of air-to-air, air-to-ground, and air-to-sea tracking, targeting, and engagement.
The Jaguars will have the same missiles as the American 5th generation stealth fighter F-35. The IAF is equipping Jaguars with MBDA’s Advance Short Range Air-To-Air Missile (ASRAAM). The NGCCM (next-gen close combat missile) will replace the aging Matra R550 Magic on the Jaguar strike aircraft’s over-the-wing pylon.
ASRAAM has an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker head that can track and home on a target range inside the line of sight. The missile weighs 88 kg and has a range of more than 25 km.
The IR missiles, also known as fire-and-forget, will enable Jaguars to successfully engage various types of combat aircraft, transport platforms, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
