Twenty-eight-year-old Indian-origin Flight Lieutenant Arshdeep Singh Dang scripted history by becoming the first Sikh fighter pilot with the Royal Air Force (RAF) of Britain since World War II. He graduated as a fighter pilot during the fast-jet pilot ceremony on Friday (August 14) at RAF Valley in North Wales in the UK.
According to the RAF, Dang is the first Sikh man to graduate on the Texan aircraft at 4 Flying Training School under the UK Military Flying Training System.
Dang, who was born in Chandigarh, moved to the UK when he was six years old. His father, Jagdeep Singh Dang, hails from Ludhiana, and his mother, Gagandeep Kaur, is from Amritsar.
After undergoing elementary flying training in 2023, Dang, who had studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Bristol, served in Cyprus before being picked for the fast-jet stream of the RAF in 2024.
In March 2025, he began fast jet lead-in training, and in October, he was sent solo to Texas. In July 2026, Dang passed his wings test and will undergo another year of intensive training before moving on to a frontline fighter jet.
“I attended a school in Mohali for about two years, but I don’t really remember much. However, we keep visiting Punjab to meet our families. Two years ago, I visited Amritsar and Ludhiana,” the Indian Express quoted Dang as saying.
According to the Indian Express, he said he is privileged to represent the Sikh community on an international stage. "I am the first Sikh to achieve this since World War II, but I don’t want to be the last.”
He said it was his grandfather’s dream to see his father as a pilot.
Dang is a Sikh through and through. The family, who live in Southall, England, speaks Punjabi at home, and no other language is allowed in the house. "We always visit the gurdwara, have langar, and keep the core values of Sikhism intact in our hearts. During tough flights, the forever Punjabi spirit of “chardi kalan” (always in high spirits) helped me a lot.”
