Bhawana Kanth (IAF) Height, Age, Family, Biography

Quick Info→

Height: 5' 8"

Hometown: Darbhanga, Bihar

Age: 33 Years

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Indian Air Force (IAF) Fighter Pilot
Famous for	Being the first female fighter pilot of India
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight (approx.)	60 Kg (132 lbs)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Indian Air Force (IAF)
Service number & branch	35194 F(P)
Course	44 SSC (W) FP Course
Stream	Fighters
Commissioning Date	18 Jun 2016
Promotions	• 18 June 2018: Flying Lieutenant • 18 June 2022: Squadron Leader
Personal Life
Date of Birth	1 December 1992 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2025)	33 Years
Birthplace	Darbhanga, Bihar, India
Zodiac sign	Sagittarius
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Darbhanga, Bihar
School	DAV Public School, Barauni refinery
College/University	BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru
Educational Qualification	Bachelor of Engineering in Medical Electronics
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook
Family
Parents	Father- Tej Narayan Kanth Mother- Radha Kanth
Siblings	Sister- 1

Some Lesser Known Facts About Bhawana Kanth

Her father, Tej Narayan Kanth, was an Electrical Engineer in Indian Oil Corporation. Her mother Radha Kanth took care of the house.

Since her childhood, she has been interested in kho kho, badminton, swimming, and painting.

From early on in her life, she dreamed of flying planes. She enrolled in Kota, Rajasthan for Engineering Entrance preparation.

Even with this job opportunity, Kath didn’t abandon her childhood dream. She appeared for the Air Force Common Admission Test and got selected for commission into the Air Force.

She selected the Fighter stream of her stage 1 training. The government has announced in June 2016 to open the fighter stream for women on experimental basis.

Kanth, with Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi were among the first women in Indian Air Force.
Bhawana Kanth (right) after joining the Indian Air Force (IAF)

She also completed six months of Stage-II training in Kiran Intermediate Jet Trainers at Air Force Station, Hakimpet, Hyderabad in the same year.

She then was commissioned as a Flying Officer at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal as part of a Combined Graduation Parade Spring Term.

After this, she piloted Hawk advanced jet trainers at AFS Bidar and plans were made to transfer her to the MiG 21 Bison squadron along with the other two female pilots.
Bhawana Kanth during IAF training

On 16 March 2018, Flying Officer Kanth made her maiden solo flying on MiG 21 Bison.

The flight took off from Ambala Air Force Station at around 1400 hours. At this time she also experimented with modelling, and also made an appearance in some print adverts.

In May 2019, Kanth qualified for day combat missions for the first time in India, and continued flying the MiG 21 Bison.

She was felicitated by President Ram Nath Kovind with Nari Shakti Puraskar for her contribution to the women empowerment in the aviation industry on 9 March 2020.

Kanth was the first female fighter pilot to participate in the Republic Day parade and fly past in 2021.

By that time, she had switched from the MiG 21 Bison to the Sukhoi Su 30 MKI, a twin jet multirole fighter which is the mainstay of the IAF’s modern fleet.

In the same year, she served as a member of a tri-service team of women officers to attend the World Defence Show at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As a guest speaker at the event, she advocated for greater participation in leadership and command positions for women in all armed forces around the world.

Kanth’s next milestone occured on 6 August 2026. She is the first female officer to pass the Indian Air Force’s Fighter Combat Leader course held at the Indian Air Force’s Top Gun school, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

After only one out of 100 pilots make it through, she finished 20 weeks of advanced combat flying training. This success brought her in the rank of the most proficient combat tacticians in IAF.