New Delhi : Indian Air Force (IAF) Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has achieved another historic milestone by becoming the first woman fighter pilot to successfully complete the elite Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior. The 20-week FCL programme is among the IAF’s toughest advanced combat training courses and is open only to a select group of fighter pilots.
TACDE, the IAF’s premier fighter tactics institution, is widely regarded as India’s equivalent of the US Navy’s renowned “Top Gun” programme. It specialises in advanced combat tactics, mission planning, air-to-air and air-to-ground operations, and leadership in high-intensity combat scenarios. A native of Bihar’s Darbhanga district and an engineering graduate, Squadron Leader Kanth was commissioned into the IAF in June 2016 as part of India’s first batch of women fighter pilots, alongside Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.
After initially flying the MiG-21 Bison, she transitioned to the Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. Kanth also became the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day Parade in 2021 and later participated in the Republic Day flypast in 2024. Her successful completion of the Fighter Combat Leader course marks another landmark in the Indian Air Force’s efforts to expand women’s role in combat aviation, reflecting their growing presence in advanced operational and leadership positions.
In 2021, she became the first woman fighter pilot to participate in the Republic Day flypast and parade, standing on the Indian Air Force’s tableau at Rajpath. Prior to that, by 2019, she had already become the first woman fighter pilot qualified to undertake day combat missions while flying the MiG-21 Bison. She has now mastered the most advanced air combat techniques and long-range precision strikes, skills that represent the future of aerial warfare and shape how the IAF will fight tomorrow’s battles.
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