A Historic Milestone for the Indian Air Force
Ten years ago, a 23-year-old fresh out of engineering college, stood on stage in Hyderabad as a part of a brand new experiment wherein, the Indian Air Force decided to let women fly fighter jets for the first time. The young lady, Bhawana Kanth, has now gone on to achieve something no woman in the country has done before.
On 6 August 2026, Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth became the first woman fighter combat leader in the Indian Air Force history, after successfully completing the demanding Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course, often called India’s answer to the US Navy’s famous “Top Gun” Programme.
What Is the Fighter Combat Leader Course?
The FCL course runs for 20 weeks at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh – the Indian Air Force’s top training centre for advanced combat flying.
Here is what makes it one of the hardest military courses in the country:
- Only around 1% of IAF fighter pilots are chosen for each batch
- Pilots train in advanced aerial combat maneuvers, weapons handling and mission planning
- A large number of candidates do not make it to graduation
- Those who pass, become fighter combat leaders; pilots trusted to shape air combat tactics, plan weapons deployment, and train the next generation of fighter pilots.
Graduating from TACDE is seen as one of the biggest career achievements a fighter pilot can earn, and Kanth is now the first woman to hold this title.
From Begusarai to the Cockpit: Bhawana Kanth’s Journey
Bhawana Kanth hails from Begusarai, Bihar, where her father worked as an engineer. She studied medical electronics at the BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru, before deciding to join the Indian Air Force.
In June, 2016, she was commissioned as one of India’s first three women fighter pilots, alongside Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh, at the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad, a moment that opened India’s fighter cockpits to the women for the first time.
Key Milestones in her career:
- 2016: Commissioned as one of the AIF’s first three women fighter pilots
- Began flying the MiG-21 Bison, as demanding fighter jet, from an airbase in Bikaner, Rajasthan
- May 2019: Became the first Indian woman fighter pilot cleared for daytime combat missions
- 2020: Awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar, India’s highest civilian honour for wome’s achievement
- 2021: Became India’s first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day parade, features on the IAF’s Su-30 MKI tableau
- Later transitioned from the MiG-21 Bison to flying the twin-engine Su-30 MKI
- 6 August 2026: Became the first woman to complete the FCL course at TACDE
Why This Achievement Matters
India’s journey toward women in combat aviation did not start in 2016. During the 1999 Kargil War, pilots like Gunjan Saxena and Srividya Rajan flew unarmed helicopters into dangerous zones to rescue wounded soldiers, long before women were officially allowed into combat roles.
Since Kanth’s 2016 commissioning, more women have followed her path into fighter cockpits:
- Shivangi Singh became one of the first woman to fly the Rafale fighter jet
- Meghana Shanbhogue became Karnataka’s first woman fighter pilot.
Bhawana Kanth’s succedd at the TACDE adds a new chapter to this growing legacy. As a certified fighter combat leader, she will now help train and shape the pilots- men and women, who fly India’s frontline combat missions in the years ahead.
Ten years after becoming part of the untested experiment, Bhawana Kanth now stands among the most skilled tactical minds in the Indian Air Force, training the very force that once had no place for woman pilots at all.
