Bhawana Kanth hails from Bihar's Darbhanga district and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in June 2016 as part of the country's first batch of women fighter pilots, alongside Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh.

Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has completed the punishing fighter combat leader course - 20 weeks of the most advanced combat flying training the IAF offers. Only about one in 100 pilots is even chosen to attempt it