Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has created history by becoming the first woman fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force to clear the elite Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course in August 2026. With this achievement, she has earned the title of India's first female 'Top Gun' combat pilot, a rare distinction in Indian military aviation.

Profile & Career Milestones of Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth

Bhawana Kanth is from Darbhanga district in Bihar. She studied at DAV Public School, Barauni, and later completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Medical Electronics from BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru. Before joining the Air Force, she worked at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and later cleared the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT).

June 2016: Commissioned into the IAF, part of the first batch of women fighter pilots along with Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh
March 2018: Flew her first solo operational flight in a MiG-21 Bison
May 2019: Became the first Indian woman cleared for daytime fighter combat missions
March 2020: Received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Ram Nath Kovind
January 2021: First woman fighter pilot to be part of the Republic Day Parade tableau
August 2026: Cleared the FCL course at TACDE, becoming India's first female 'Top Gun'

About Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) Course at TACDE

The FCL course is extremely tough to get into, with only around 1% of IAF fighter pilots making the cut. Spread over 20 weeks, it trains pilots to design air combat tactics, lead complex formation missions, and train frontline squadrons. Once pilots complete the course, they return to their units as experts in weapons handling, air combat manoeuvring, and tactical planning.

What is TACDE?

The Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) is located in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
It is the IAF's top institute for building combat tactics and giving advanced training to pilots.
TACDE is often compared to the US Navy's famous "Top Gun" school.
Besides training Fighter Combat Leaders, it also runs courses for Helicopter Combat Leaders and Master Fighter Controllers, and tests new aircraft, weapons and radar systems before they are used in real operations.