Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Bhawana Kanth becomes IAF's first woman 'Top Gun' pilot
Bhawana Kanth is a pilot in the Indian Air Force, the part of India's military that flies planes.
She grew up in Darbhanga, Bihar, and dreamed of flying from the time she was a little girl.
In 2016, India decided to let women fly fighter jets for the first time, and Bhawana was one of the first three women to join, along with Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.
She learned to fly very fast, tricky planes called the MiG-21 Bison and later the Sukhoi Su-30MKI.
Recently, she finished a very hard 20-week course at a special school in Gwalior called TACDE.
This school is like the 'Top Gun' school from the movies, and only about one out of every 100 pilots gets in.
Now she is the first woman ever to finish it, and she is called a Fighter Combat Leader, which means she is an expert at planning and leading difficult missions in the air.
She has won awards too, like the Nari Shakti Puraskar, a big honour given by the President of India to women who do great things.
She even spoke at a big defence show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, telling countries that women should get more chances to lead in the military.
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth became the first woman to graduate from the Indian Air Force's Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course at TACDE in Gwalior, earning the 'Top Gun' title.
The highly selective 20-week (five-month) programme accepts only about one in 100 IAF pilots and trains officers in advanced combat tactics, complex weapons handling and high-G aerial manoeuvres.
In 2016, she was among the first three women — alongside Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh — commissioned as IAF fighter pilots after the fighter cockpit was opened to women on an experimental basis.
She flew the demanding MiG-21 Bison, completing her first solo in March 2018 and qualifying for day combat missions in 2019, before transitioning to the Sukhoi Su-30MKI; one report still lists the MiG-21 Bison as her aircraft.
She received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2020, became the first woman fighter pilot in the 2021 Republic Day flypast, and advocated for women's leadership roles at the 2024 World Defence Show in Riyadh.
- Who
- Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth, an Indian Air Force fighter pilot born and raised in Darbhanga, Bihar.
- What
- She became the first woman to graduate from the IAF's Fighter Combat Leader course at TACDE in Gwalior, earning the 'Top Gun' title.
- When
- Recently, after completing 20 weeks of training; the articles give no exact graduation date but note milestones from 2016 to 2024.
- Where
- Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior, India; earlier milestones in India and at the 2024 World Defence Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Why
- The course prepares elite pilots for complex combat operations, and Kanth's achievement marks a historic step for women in India's combat aviation.
- Full Name
- Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth
- Milestone
- First woman to graduate from the IAF Fighter Combat Leader ('Top Gun') course
- Training
- 20-week (five-month) course at TACDE, Gwalior
- Selection Rate
- About 1 in 100 IAF pilots
- Born & Raised
- Darbhanga, Bihar; schooling in Begusarai
- Education
- Medical Electronics Engineering degree from BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru
- Aircraft
- MiG-21 Bison and Sukhoi Su-30MKI (articles differ on her current aircraft)
- Honours
- Nari Shakti Puraskar (2020); first woman fighter pilot in Republic Day flypast (2021)
