Who is Wing Commander Vyomika Singh? The IAF pilot who led the Operation Sindoor briefing

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, a decorated helicopter pilot with the Indian Air Force, took the national spotlight as she led the tri-services media briefing following Operation Sindoor—India’s cross-border precision strike on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 

For Wing Commander Singh, the journey to the IAF began early. The name “Vyomika,” meaning daughter of the sky, mirrored her childhood ambition. From her school days, she was determined to fly. 

She joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC), pursued engineering, and eventually became the first in her family to join the armed forces. On December 18, 2019, she was granted a permanent commission in the IAF’s flying branch as a helicopter pilot.

With over 2,500 flying hours logged, Singh has operated helicopters like the Chetak and Cheetah across some of India’s most challenging terrain—from high-altitude sectors in Jammu and Kashmir to remote areas in the Northeast. 

In 2020, she led a key rescue operation in Arunachal Pradesh, flying in extreme conditions to evacuate civilians. Her mettle was again proven in 2021 when she joined an all-women tri-services mountaineering expedition to Mt. Manirang (21,650 ft).

At the Operation Sindoor press conference—held after India avenged the killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam—Singh not only briefed the nation but embodied a shift in how India’s military communicates and who represents it.