Bhawana Kanth becomes 1st woman to become Fighter Combat Leader
What's the story
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has made history by becoming the first woman fighter pilot to graduate from the Indian Air Force's (IAF) elite Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course. The prestigious program is conducted at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior and is one of the toughest advanced combat courses in the IAF. It is designed for a select group of fighter pilots to lead complex air combat missions and become frontline combat tacticians.
Training ground
What is the TACDE?
The Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) is the IAF's top fighter tactics institution. It is comparable to the United States Navy's "Top Gun" school, formally known as the Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program.
The TACDE trains personnel in advanced combat tactics, mission planning, air-to-air and air-to-ground operations, and leadership in high-intensity operational scenarios.
Its instructors are among the most experienced fighter pilots and controllers in the IAF.
Trailblazer
Kanth was commissioned into IAF in June 2016
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth hails from Bihar's Darbhanga district and is an engineering graduate.
She was commissioned into the IAF in June 2016 as part of India's first batch of women fighter pilots, along with Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.
Since then, she has been a pioneer for women in military aviation.
In 2019, she became the first Indian woman to qualify for day combat missions on the MiG-21 Bison aircraft.
Milestones
Other achievements of Kanth
Kanth has also flown the Sukhoi-30MKI, one of the IAF's most advanced fighter aircraft.
She was the first woman fighter pilot to participate in the Republic Day Parade in 2021 and fly in its flypast in 2024.
Her latest achievement means she has now mastered some of the force's most advanced combat techniques, including complex aerial tactics and long-range precision strike operations.