Air Vice Marshal Hilal Ahmed Rather, a native of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, holds the distinction of being the first Indian pilot to fly the Rafale fighter jet. As India’s Air Attaché in France, he played a critical role in overseeing the acquisition, customization, and delivery of the Rafale jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF). His responsibilities included ensuring the weaponization of the aircraft to meet Indian requirements and supervising the training of IAF personnel in France. His expertise and leadership earned him national recognition and prestigious awards like the Vayu Sena Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal.
In May 2025, Air Vice Marshal Rather also played a pivotal role in “Operation Sindoor,” a precision military strike launched by India targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Leveraging his operational knowledge of the Rafale platform, he contributed significantly to the planning and execution of the mission, which was a response to a terrorist attack in pahalgam in J&K state of India .
