New Delhi: Five officers of Indian Navy’s INAS 314 based at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar, made history on August 3 by completing the first all-women independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in North Arabian Sea.
Led by Mission Commander Lt Cdr Aanchal Sharma, the Dornier 228 a
ircraft had on board pilots Lt Shivangi and Lt Apurva Gite, along with Tactical and Sensor Officers Lt Pooja Panda and SLt Pooja Shekhawat, the Ministry of Defence said in a PIB release.
The female officers received months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run-up to this unique sortie.
It’s a unique achievement for the Armed Forces that a crew of women officers undertook an independent operational mission in a multi-crew maritime surveillance aircraft.
INAS 314 is a frontline Naval Air Squadron at Porbandar, and operates the state-of-the-art Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The squadron is commanded by Cdr SK Goyal, a qualified navigation Instructor.