Bhawana Kanth becomes India’s first woman fighter pilot to qualify to undertake combat missions

Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth, who belongs to Darbhanga (Bihar), has created history by becoming the India’s first female fighter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to qualify to undertake combat missions for day operations on a fighter aircraft. This comes after she completed her day operational training as a fighter pilot on the MiG-21 Bison aircraft. At present, Bhawana is posted at the Nal base in Bikaner , where she will operate the aircraft with her squadron. The MiG-21 is the oldest frontline combat jet in service with the Indian Air Force, having first entered service in 1964. The jet has been regularly upgraded since then. The MiG-21 “Bison” is the definitive variant of the legacy fighter.