Five officers of the Indian Navy created history by completing the first all-women independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the Arabian Sea, onboard a Dornier-228 aircraft.
“The women officers received months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run up to this historical sortie,” the Navy said in a statement.
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 Sub Lt. Pooja Shekhawat in her team. They are part of the Indian Naval Air Squadron INAS-314, based at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar, Gujarat.
Stating that the Navy has been a front-runner in driving transformation in the armed forces, the statement said its women empowerment initiatives include induction of women pilots, selection of women Air Operations Officers into the helicopter stream and conducting an all-women sailing circumnavigation expedition across the globe in 2018.
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, the Navy stated.
“It was indeed a mission that showcased “Nari Shakti” in its real spirit,” it added.
