Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth will become the first woman fighter pilot to participate in the Republic Day parade on January 26, 2021. She will be a part of the Indian Air Force's tableau at the parade. The parade will also feature the newly inducted Rafale fighter jet during the flypast.
28-year-old Kanth belongs to the Darbhanga district in Bihar. She was born and raised in the Refinery Township, Begusarai. Her father used to work as an engineer in the Indian Oil Corporation Limited. She is also fond of photography, cooking, swimming, and travelling. She completed her Bachelor of Engineering in Medical Electronics from the BMS College of Engineering in Bengaluru.
At present, Kanth is posted at an airbase in Rajasthan where she flies the MiG-21 Bison. She was among the first Indian women fighter pilots to be inducted in the IAF in 2016 alongside Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh, said a report of NewsBytes.
Ten women officers have been commissioned into the fighter stream since the IAF introduced a scheme for women to be inducted into the stream in the year 2015.
The 72nd Republic Day celebration on January 26 will showcase mock-ups of the light combat aircraft, light combat helicopter, and the Sukhoi-30. Keeping in mind the pandemic restrictions, the parade will be shorter. Marching contingents will have a total of 96 participants in each squad. The number of spectators has been reduced to 25,000 instead of 1 lakh.
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