Bhawana Kanth reflects on her path to Fighter Combat Leader qualification

Bhawana Kanth, the Indian Air Force's first woman to qualify as a Fighter Combat Leader, has described how a childhood wish to fly led her into fighter aviation. The Times of India published her recollections from a CNBC-TV18 interview on October 10.

As a child, Kanth ran after aircraft and watched them disappear over the horizon. When she entered military training, she did not yet know that women could not join the fighter stream. Discovering the restriction surprised her, she said, but did not change her ambition.

A policy change opened the profession to her. In 2016, Kanth joined Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh as the Indian Air Force's first three women fighter pilots. She made her first solo MiG-21 Bison flight in March 2018 and qualified for daytime combat missions in May 2019.

Kanth earned the Fighter Combat Leader qualification in August 2026 after a course at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment in Gwalior, a milestone previously reported by NDTV Profit. The programme prepares pilots for tactical planning and leadership in complex air operations.

She later moved from the MiG-21 Bison to the Sukhoi-30MKI. Describing military flying, Kanth highlighted physical demands, teamwork and setbacks that accompany professional progress. She identified daily training as a constant part of her life, both in her work and in maintaining physical fitness.