NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has achieved another milestone by becoming the first woman fighter pilot to successfully complete the prestigious Fighter Combat Leader course at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment in Gwalior.
The 20-week programme is considered one of the Indian Air Force’s most demanding advanced combat courses and is undertaken by a select group of fighter pilots.
Successful completion of the course qualifies pilots to lead complex air combat missions and places them among the IAF’s frontline combat tacticians.
TACDE is the Air Force’s premier institution for fighter tactics and advanced operational training. It is often compared with the US Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor programme, popularly known as “Top Gun”.
The establishment trains personnel in advanced combat tactics, mission planning, air-to-air and air-to-ground operations, and leadership during high-intensity operational scenarios.
Its instructors are drawn from among the IAF’s most experienced fighter pilots and controllers, making TACDE a key centre for operational air combat training.
Squadron Leader Kanth, who hails from Darbhanga district in Bihar and is an engineering graduate, was commissioned into the IAF in June 2016 as part of the country’s first batch of women fighter pilots along with Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.
She has since been associated with several milestones for women in military aviation.
In 2019, Kanth became the first Indian woman fighter pilot to be cleared for daytime combat missions.
She initially flew the MiG-21 Bison before transitioning to the Su-30MKI fighter aircraft.
Kanth also became the first woman fighter pilot to participate in the Republic Day Parade in 2021 and later took part in the Republic Day flypast in 2024.
Her latest achievement marks another significant step in the expanding role of women in the IAF’s combat stream and reflects their growing presence in advanced operational and leadership positions.
