Bhawana Kanth
Bhawana Kanth | |
|---|---|
Bhawna Kanth | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 December 1992 Darbhanga,Bihar, India |
| Alma mater | B.M.S College of Engineering, B.M.S. Institute of Technology and Management, Bangalore |
| Occupation | Fighter Pilot |
| Awards | Nari Shakti Puraskar |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | India |
| Branch/service | Indian Air Force |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
Bhawana Kanth is the first female fighter pilot of India. She was declared as the first woman to qualify for undertaking missions on a fighter aircraft. She along with two of her cohort, Mohana Singh, and Avani Chaturvedi were inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016 and were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. After the government of India decided to open the fighter stream in India Air Force for women on an experimental basis, these three women were the first to be selected for the program.
In May 2019, she became the first female fighter pilot in India to qualify to undertake combat missions.