All-women crew completes surveillance mission over the Arabian Sea

The aircraft was captained by the Mission Commander, Lt Cdr Aanchal Sharma, who had pilots, Lt Shivangi and Lt Apurva Gite, and Tactical and Sensor Officers, Lt Pooja Panda and SLt Pooja Shekhawat in her team

Anish Kumar

New Delhi, First Published Aug 4, 2022, 3:23 PM IST

In a first, Indian Navy created naval history by completing all-women independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission over the Arabian Sea onboard a Dornier 228 aircraft, on August 3. The mission was carried out by five officers of the Indian Navy Air Squadron 314 based at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar in Gujarat.

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"The aircraft was captained by the Mission Commander, Lt Cdr Aanchal Sharma, who had pilots, Lt Shivangi and Lt Apurva Gite, and Tactical and Sensor Officers, Lt Pooja Panda and SLt Pooja Shekhawat in her team," an official said.

INAS 314 is a frontline Naval Air Squadron that operates the state-of-the-art Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

All women crew completes surveillance mission over the Arabian Sea

The official said that the women officers had to undergo months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run up to this historical sortie.

"The Indian Navy has been a front-runner in driving transformation in the Armed Forces," Indian Navy spokespersons Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

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"This first-of-its-kind military flying mission was, however, unique and is expected to pave the way for women officers in the aviation cadre to assume greater responsibility and aspire for more challenging roles," he said.

In 2018, the all-women Indian Navy crew on board INSV Tarini created historic feat by successfully circumnavigated around the globe for eight months.

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Last Updated Aug 4, 2022, 4:11 PM IST