CHANDIGARH: Indian-origin Flight Lieutenant 28-year old Arshdeep Singh Dang hailing from Punjab has become the first Sikh to graduate as a fighter pilot in Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) since World War II.
Dang graduated during a fast jet pilot ceremony at RAF Valley in North Wales on Friday, August 14. The RAF said he was the first Sikh trainee to graduate on the Texan aircraft at 4 Flying Training School under the UK Military Flying Training System, although he was not the first Sikh to graduate from Basic Flying Training.
Born in Chandigarh in 1998, Dang moved to the UK with his family when he was six. His father, Jagdeep Singh Dang, is from Ludhiana, while his mother, Gagandeep Kaur, is from Amritsar. The family lives in Southall, England.
Dang studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Bristol before completing officer training in February 2022 and elementary flying training in 2023. After serving in Cyprus, he was selected for the fast jet stream in 2024. He began fast jet lead-in training in March 2025 and basic fast jet training in July that year and was sent solo to Texas in October. He passed his wings test in July 2026. Dang will now undergo another year of intensive training before progressing to frontline fighter aircraft.