Hilal Ahmed Rather
Hilal Ahmed Rather | |
|---|---|
| File:Hilal Ahmed Rather.jpg Air Commodore Hilal Ahmed Rather in 2016 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Hally" "Rafale Man"[1] |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Service/ |  Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1988-present |
| Rank |  Air commodore |
| Service number | 19863[2] |
| Commands held | AFS Gwalior |
| Battles/wars | 2016 Indian Line of Control strike |
| Awards |  Vayu Sena Medal Vishisht Seva Medal |
Air Commodore Hilal Ahmed Rather VM, VSM is an Indian Air Force air officer from Kashmir in India[3], He became India's first pilot to fly the Dassault Rafale.[4][5][6][7] Since 2016, he has served as Indian air attaché in Paris, organising the supply of the Rafale to the India Air Force.[8][9]
Career
A native of Anantnag district in southern Kashmir, Rather studied at the Sainik School Nagrota near Jammu from Class VI in 1978.[10] According to family friends, he rarely visited his home following the beginning of the insurgency in 1988.[10]
Rather was commissioned into the regular (flying) branch of the IAF as a pilot officer on 17 December 1988, with the service number 19863,[2] He passed out from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal as the "Best All-Round Pilot", winning both the President's Plaque and the academy Sword of Honour.[11] He was promoted flying officer on 17 December 1989 and flight lieutenant on 17 December 1993.[12][13] Rather was promoted squadron leader on 17 December 1999,[14] and went on a flight safety course in Bangladesh in 2003.[11] Rather also attended the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington.[1] He was promoted wing commander on 16 December 2004 and group captain on 1 May 2010.[15][16] He also served as an instructor at the DSSC.[1]
In 2011, Rather was selected for a course at the USAF Air War College, which he passed with distinction.[11] After completing the course, he returned to India in 2013 and was posted to the AHQ (Air Headquarters) of the Western Air Command.[11] From 2013 to 2016, Rather served as director of fighter operations for the Western Air Command, with responsibility for training and operational plans.[1] Commanding AFS Gwalior, Rather was involved in the September 2016 Indian Line of Control strike.[1] On 26 December 2016, he was promoted air commodore.[17]
As defence air attache in Paris, Rather is one of only four IAF officers in this role; the others are posted at the Indian missions in the U.S., the U.K. and Russia.[1] He has over 3,000 accident-free flight hours on Dassault Mirage 2000, MiG-21 and Kiran aircraft.[1]
Awards
Rather received the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) for devotion to duty in 2010, followed by the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2016.[11]
Personal life
A devout Muslim,[10] Rather is the youngest of six siblings, including three sisters and two brothers.[11] His father was Muhammad Abdullah Rather SM (d. 2013), a decorated veteran of the 1962 Sino-Indian War who fought with the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and who subsequently joined the J&K police, retiring as a deputy superintendent.[11] His brothers are teachers in Anantnag, one a chemistry lecturer, while his two elder sisters retired after careers in teaching and in the law, respectively; both his parents are deceased.[11][10] He married his wife Samina in 1993, with whom he has two children.[18][11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Kashmiri 'Rafale Man' was part of surgical strike against Pak". The Kashmir Monitor. IANS. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Air Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 30 September 1989. p. 1471.
- ↑ "Kashmir's Hilal Ahmad Rather becomes first pilot to fly Rafale from France to India". Greater Kashmir. July 28, 2020.
- ↑ Writer, Staff (July 29, 2020). "Meet Kashmiri Hilal Ahmed Rather, India's first pilot to fly Rafale". Livemint.
- ↑ "Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather becomes first Indian pilot to fly Rafale jets". Moneycontrol.
- ↑ "First Indian Pilot to Fly Rafale is Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather from Kashmir". News18.
- ↑ "This Man Just Became A National Hero For Bringing Home The Rafale Jets & Here's All We Know About Him". www.mensxp.com.
- ↑ "Hilal Ahmed Rather: The Man Behind Rafale Delivery To India", 29 July 2020
- ↑ "J&K’s very own 'Rafale Hero' Hilal, The Northlines, 30 July 2020
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Zulfikar Majid (29 July 2020). "Kashmiri Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather becomes first Indian pilot to fly Rafale". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 Auqib Javeed (28 July 2020). "First Rafale Man of India: 'Hilal Was the Brightest Among 5 Siblings'". Kashmir Observer. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Air Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 11 August 1990. p. 1306.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Air Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 29 October 1994. p. 1982.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Air Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 September 2001. p. 1114.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Air Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 18 March 2006. p. 368.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Air Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 3 September 2011. p. 1629.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Air Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 September 2019. p. 2380.
- ↑ Rohan Dua (29 July 2020). "IAF officer who played key role in Rafale delivery hero back home in Kashmir". Times of India. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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