Indian Air Force pilot Bhawana Kanth becomes first woman to complete Fighter Combat Leader course

Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth completed the Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior on 6 August 2026, becoming the first woman in Indian Air Force history to earn the qualification. The 20-week programme is widely regarded as the IAF's most demanding tactical course, with a selection rate of roughly 1% of fighter pilots per intake and a steep washout rate among those chosen. Graduates return to their squadrons as fighter combat leaders responsible for shaping air combat tactics, planning weapons deployment and training frontline pilots.

Kanth's path to TACDE began in June 2016 when she, Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh were commissioned as the IAF's first three women fighter pilots at the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad. Kanth grew up in Begusarai, Bihar, where her father worked as an engineer, and studied medical electronics at BMS College of Engineering in Bengaluru before joining the Air Force. She initially flew the MiG-21 Bison from an airbase in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

In May 2019, Kanth became the first Indian woman fighter pilot cleared for daytime combat missions, placing her among a small number of women worldwide flying frontline sorties. Two years later, she became the first woman fighter pilot to participate in the Republic Day parade, appearing on the IAF's tableau alongside models of the Su-30 MKI. She subsequently transitioned from the MiG-21 Bison to the twin-engine Su-30 MKI and received the Nari Shakti Puraskar, India's highest civilian honour recognising women's achievement, in 2020 for her contribution to combat aviation.

The FCL course at TACDE trains experienced pilots and controllers in advanced aerial combat manoeuvring, weapons employment and mission planning under sustained pressure. Graduation is considered a career-defining honour even among seasoned fighter pilots. Kanth's qualification gives her a direct role in shaping how squadrons train, plan missions and fight for years after her own operational postings end, influencing the development of pilots, including women, who will follow her.

Women have been expanding their presence in Indian combat aviation since well before the fighter stream opened in 2016. Pilots such as Gunjan Saxena and Srividya Rajan flew unarmed helicopters into hostile territory during the 1999 Kargil war, evacuating wounded soldiers under fire. Since 2016, the cohort has widened considerably, with officers such as Shivangi Singh going on to fly the Rafale and women from states across India joining the fighter stream.

Ten years after Kanth first walked onto a fighter squadron as part of an experimental policy change, she now stands at the top of the IAF's tactical hierarchy, training the force that once had no place for her at all.