Arshdeep Singh Dang is a 28-year-old Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. Born in Chandigarh in 1998, he moved to the UK with his family when he was six and grew up in Southall, England. Dang graduated during a fast jet pilot ceremony at RAF Valley in North Wales on August 14, 2026, marking a historic milestone. He is the first Sikh to attain fighter wings from a fighter squadron in the RAF since World War II. The RAF also said he was the first Sikh trainee to graduate on the Texan aircraft at No. 4 Flying Training School under the UK Military Flying Training System. (Image: Instagram/@kiddaan)
Dang’s interest in flying has a deeply personal connection. Speaking to The Indian Express, he recalled that his paternal grandfather, Sardar Santokh Singh Dang, had wanted his father to become a pilot. “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,” he told The Indian Express. (Image: Instagram/@kiddaan)
Before joining the RAF, Dang studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Bristol. He completed his officer training in February 2022, followed by elementary flying training in 2023. He later served in Cyprus before being selected for the fast jet stream in 2024. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Dang began fast jet lead-in training in March 2025 and basic fast jet training in July that year. He was sent solo to Texas in October 2025 and eventually passed his wings test in July 2026. Although Dang has earned his pilot wings, his training is not over. He will undergo another year of intensive training before progressing towards frontline fighter aircraft. (Image: Facebook/@RAF Valley)
Dang has spoken about the role his family and Sikh upbringing played in his journey. His family continues to speak Punjabi at home and regularly visits the gurdwara. He also referred to the Punjabi concept of “chardi kalan”, broadly associated with maintaining a positive and resilient spirit, as something that helped him through difficult moments during his training. (Image: Facebook/@RAF Valley)
Dang’s achievement also connects with the history of Sikh and Indian-origin aviators who served in British military aviation. Among them were Hardit Singh Malik, who served as a fighter pilot during World War I, and Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji, a distinguished Sikh RAF fighter pilot during World War II. Pujji served with several RAF squadrons and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. (Image: Ethan Doyle White/Wikimedia Commons)
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