INDIA. Mumbai: Five women officers of the Indian Navy based at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar (Gujarat), completed the first all-women independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea onboard a Dornier 228 aircraft.
The mission commander, Lt Cdr Aanchal Sharma, captained the aircraft on Wednesday along with the tactical and sensor officers, Lt Pooja Panda and Sub-lieutenant Pooja Shekhawat, as the pilots Lt Shivangi and Lt Apurva Gite.
Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 314 is a frontline Naval Air Squadron based at Porbandar and operates the state-of-the-art Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The squadron is commanded by Commander SK Goyal, a Qualified Navigation Instructor.
INAS 314, the sixth Dornier aircraft squadron, was commissioned in November 2019. The squadron has a very strategic location and serves a crucial role in enhancing its surveillance footprint in the North Arabian Sea.
Calling the mission a symbol of ‘Nari shakti’ (women’s power), the defence ministry said the women officers received months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run-up to this historical sortie.
This pioneering military flying operation is anticipated to open doors for female aviation personnel to take on more responsibility and strive for more difficult tasks.
“It marked a unique achievement for the Armed Forces that a crew of only women officers undertook an independent operational mission in a multi-crew maritime surveillance aircraft,” an Indian Navy statement said.
Leading the way in the Armed Forces’ transformation has been the Indian Navy. The statement added that its impressive and pioneering women empowerment initiatives that include:
- Induction of women pilots.
- Selection of women Air Operations Officers into the helicopter stream.
- Conducting an all-women sailing circumnavigation expedition across the globe in 2018.
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