Why in News
- IAF squadron leader Bhawana Kanth has become the first ever woman fighter pilot to qualify as a Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) after undergoing the prestigious 20-week course in Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), Gwalior.
About
- The FCL course at TACDE Gwalior is an elite course which focuses on air combat training, mission planning, weapons and tactics.
- The selection for this course is highly competitive as it only selects about 1% of the IAF pilots.
- Bhawana Kanth was one of the three women fighter pilots to join IAF in 2016. She joined the IAF as a commissioned officer along with Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.
- She was the first woman fighter pilot to qualify for day-fighting in the MiG-21 Bison jet in 2019.
