Bhawana Kanth becomes first Indian woman to graduate TACDE's elite fighter course

Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has completed the Fighter Combat Leader program at TACDE, marking the first time a woman has done so in the Indian Air Force.

In a historic first for the Indian Air Force, Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth successfully finished the Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior. The intensive 20-week program, which hones advanced combat tactics, is offered to only a limited number of pilots each cycle. Kanth originally entered the service in June 2016 as one of three women commissioned as fighter pilots, alongside Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.

Her graduation comes after Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh earned a Qualified Flying Instructor badge and piloted President Droupadi Murmu in a Rafale, and after Squadron Leader Saanya secured the Category-A QFI qualification. TACDE, founded in the early 1970s, serves as the IAF’s premier centre for developing tactics, procedures and training across multiple aircraft types and weapon systems, and is often likened to the U.S. Navy’s “Top Gun” program.