- Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has created history by completing the Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course.
- On August 6, 2026, she became India's first female fighter pilot to successfully complete this prestigious course.
- This training is conducted at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, where select fighter pilots are trained in advanced aerial combat strategies, mission planning, and leadership skills.
- Bhawana Kanth was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in June 2016.
- She was part of the historic batch of the country's first female fighter pilots, which also included Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.
- Subsequently, in May 2019, she achieved another significant milestone by attaining operational clearance for day-time combat missions.
- Throughout her military career so far, Bhawana Kanth has flown supersonic fighter aircraft like the MiG-21 Bison and later operated the Su-30 MKI, the Indian Air Force's most modern and powerful fighter jet.
- This achievement is seen as a symbol of the growing role of women in the Indian Air Force and their increasing contribution to the field of combat aviation.
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