Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Bhawana Kanth becomes IAF's first woman 'Top Gun' pilot
The Indian Air Force is the part of India's military that flies aircraft.
Fighter pilots fly fast, powerful jets that protect the country from the sky.
TACDE is a special school where only the very best pilots go to learn advanced combat tricks.
It is often called the 'Top Gun' school, like in the movies.
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth just finished this very tough school, becoming the first woman ever to do it.
In 2016, the Indian Air Force allowed women to become fighter pilots for the first time, and Bhawana was one of the first three.
She trained hard and flew her first solo flight on a MiG-21 Bison in March 2018.
She was also the first Indian woman cleared to fly fighter combat missions in the daytime.
Only about one out of every hundred pilots gets chosen for this special training.
Her achievement shows that women can be top fighter pilots too, breaking barriers in the armed forces.
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth became the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force to clear the Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course at TACDE in Gwalior.
The 20-week FCL course selects only about 1 per cent of IAF pilots and trains them in advanced combat tactics; TACDE is often compared to the US Navy's 'Top Gun' programme.
Commissioned in June 2016, Kanth was one of the Indian Air Force's first three women fighter pilots, alongside Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.
She flew her first solo on a MiG-21 Bison in March 2018, later became the first Indian woman cleared for daytime fighter combat missions, and then transitioned to the Su-30 MKI.
The milestone follows other women-firsts, including Squadron Leader Saanya's Category-A Qualified Flying Instructor rating and Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh piloting President Droupadi Murmu in a Rafale aircraft.
- Who
- Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth, a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force.
- What
- She became the first woman pilot to clear the Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course, the Indian Air Force's premier 'Top Gun' programme at TACDE.
- When
- No exact date is given in the articles; it follows Squadron Leader Saanya's Category-A Qualified Flying Instructor achievement by about two months.
- Where
- Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior, India.
- Why
- She broke a glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to complete the Indian Air Force's toughest combat leadership course.
- Pilot
- Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth
- Achievement
- First woman pilot to clear the Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course
- Training establishment
- Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), Gwalior
- Course duration
- 20 weeks
- Selection rate
- About 1 per cent of IAF pilots
- First solo
- MiG-21 Bison, March 2018
- Commissioned
- June 2016, one of IAF's first three women fighter pilots
- Aircraft flown
- MiG-21 Bison; later Su-30 MKI
