Meet Flight Lieutenant Aman Singh Hans: The Braveheart Who Flew a MiG-29 Without a Canopy at 28,000 Feet

In the unforgiving world of combat aviation, few tales of bravery soar as high as that of Flight Lieutenant Aman Singh Hans, a young fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force who demonstrated nerves of steel when faced with certain peril. For his unmatched courage and gallant actions that went far beyond the call of duty, he was conferred the Shaurya Chakra by President Droupadi Murmu on January 25, 2025.

It was March 28, 2024, when Flight Lieutenant Hans took off on a long-range ferry mission aboard a MiG-29 fighter jet by night, as part of preparations for Exercise Gagan Shakti. Just 20 minutes into the flight and cruising at a staggering altitude of 28,000 feet, disaster struck. A sudden blast erupted in the cockpit. The canopy of the aircraft had blown off — a pilot’s worst nightmare at high altitude.

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At that elevation, oxygen levels are critically low, and temperatures plunge to minus 40 degrees Celsius. Without a canopy, the cockpit instantly became a wind tunnel, and the pilot was left exposed to brutal elements — risking hypoxia, decompression sickness, and wind-induced trauma to the eyes and body.

Most would have succumbed to the shock, but not Flight Lt. Hans.

With the Head-Up Display (HUD) gone and all visual references blanked out, he kept flying — relying only on head-down instruments on the cockpit panel. Through sheer presence of mind, he switched to standby radio control, declared an emergency, and ensured that civilian aircraft in the area were not endangered.

Despite severe pain in his eyes, zero radio reception, and the threat of blackout from oxygen deprivation, he made a calculated descent to 3,000 meters and steered the jet to the nearest airbase, performing a perfect landing despite the jet’s heavy fuel load.

The Indian Air Force lauded his "astute decision-making and exceptional situational awareness" in averting what could have been a devastating crash — potentially costing not just the aircraft, but civilian lives and property on the ground.

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By saving the aircraft and himself in such dire circumstances, Flight Lt. Aman Singh Hans didn't just survive — he embodied the spirit of a warrior, showcasing the kind of resilience and quick-thinking that legends are made of.

For this feat, he joined an elite club of gallantry awardees. The Shaurya Chakra, India’s third-highest peacetime gallantry award, now adorns his name — a tribute to his indomitable valor and fearless service.

While his act stands out as extraordinary, it is part of a legacy. The Indian Air Force has seen similar acts of heroism — like Sqn Ldr Rijul Sharma, who landed his MiG-29 safely in 2016 after a canopy blast at supersonic speed, and even former Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, who faced a similar mid-air canopy loss in 1994 and lived to lead the entire force.

Flight Lieutenant Aman Singh Hans represents the very best of India’s warrior class — calm under pressure, committed to mission, and courageous to the core. His actions serve as a reminder that true heroism lies not in glory, but in grit — the ability to stare danger in the eye, act swiftly, and protect the greater good even at great personal risk.

As the nation salutes him, his story will continue to inspire generations of young Indians to look to the skies — not just to dream, but to dare.