Arshdeep Singh Dang First Sikh Britain Fighter Pilot World War 2

With his roots in Punjab, Indian-origin Flight Lieutenant Arshdeep Singh Dang, 28, has become the first Sikh to graduate as a fighter pilot in Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF). He is the first Sikh to attain wings from a Fighter Squadron of the RAF since World War II, according to the RAF.

A fast jet pilot graduation ceremony was held at RAF Valley in North Wales on Friday (August 14), where the British air force announced Arshdeep’s achievement.

Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, Arshdeep said: “It was my paternal grandfather Sardar Santokh Singh Dang’s dream that my father should be a pilot. But my grandfather died when my father was just 6. So my father never really had those opportunities or resources to fulfil his wish. My parents encouraged me, and I started to believe that I could be a pilot. And it happened.”

Arshdeep’s father Jagdeep Singh Danis a native of Ludhiana, and his mother Gagandeep Kaur is from Amritsar. However, Arshdeep was born in Chandigarh in 1998, and the couple moved to the UK when he was just 6. “I attended a school in Mohali for 2 years or so, but I don’t really remember much. However, we keep visiting Punjab to meet our families. Two years ago, I visited Amritsar and Ludhiana,” says Arshdeep. In the UK, the family lives in Southall, England.

Arshdeep attended the University of Bristol, earning a BSc (Hons) in mathematics and philosophy. He graduated from Officer Training in February 2022 and Elementary Flying Training in 2023. After serving in Cyprus, Dang was streamed to Fast Jet in 2024. He commenced his Fast Jet lead-in training in March 2025, followed by Basic Fast Jet training in July the same year.

He was sent solo to Texas in October 2025 and passed his wings test in July 2026. Next, he will undergo another year of intense training before handling fighter jets on the front line.

Arshdeep was the only pilot of Indian origin in his batch. “I am privileged to represent my 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.”

“Sikhs made a major contribution to the British Indian Army during World War II. Several Sikhs were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest British gallantry honour. But since then, there haven’t been any notable achievements. I want my success to inspire others. We always have a chance to create history, not just in the UK, but in the entire world,” says Arshdeep.

“Although it was my grandfather’s dream to see my father as a pilot, my pillar of strength has always been my mother. She kept us grounded, humbled and never made us feel low even when we had financial constraints. She anchored our family through the toughest times. She kept those Punjabi roots and Sikh values imbibed in us even after we moved from India.”

Gauravdeep Singh, Arshdeep’s Ludhiana-based cousin, said, “He has made Ludhiana and Punjab very proud.”

Several notable Indian-origin fighter pilots, including Sikhs, served with distinction in Britain’s Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Air Force (RAF) across both World Wars.

Lieutenant Indra Lal Roy was a legendary fighter pilot of Indian origin who served in the British military during World War I and became India’s first and only “Flying Ace”, claiming 10 aerial victories with the RFC and RAF in 1918. He was the first Indian ever to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

The most notable Sikh fighter pilots in British military history are Lieutenant Hardit Singh Malik, the pioneering WWI aviator known as the “Flying Sikh”, and Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji, a celebrated WWII fighter pilot who wore his turban proudly in combat. Both men broke racial and structural barriers to fly fighter aircraft for British air services.Malik flew with the French Air Service and later received an honorary commission as a pilot in the British Royal Flying Corps (which became the RAF) on June 22, 1917. He refused to remove his turban for standard headgear, so authorities accommodated him by designing a special flying helmet to fit over it. He flew Sopwith Camels in dangerous dogfights over the Western Front, famously surviving an October 1917 mission where his plane was riddled with over 450 bullet hits.

World War II hero Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji volunteered for the RAF in 1940 as one of its earliest Indian Sikh fighter pilots. He flew Hawker Hurricanes across Britain, the harsh North African deserts, and the dense jungles of Burma. He had a custom oxygen mask manufactured to fit securely over his turban. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his bravery, surviving being shot down twice during the war.