Five officers of the Indian Navy created history by completing the first all-woman independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the Arabian Sea, onboard a Dornier-228 aircraft.

The first-of-its-kind maritime mission showcased ‘Nari Shakti’

The women officers received months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run-up to this historic sortie.

The aircraft was captained by the Mission Commander, Lt. Cdr. Aanchal Sharma, with pilots Lt. Shivangi and Lt. Apurva Gite, and Tactical and Sensor Officers Lt. Pooja Panda and Sub Lt. Pooja Shekhawat.

They are part of the Indian Naval Air Squadron INAS-314, based at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar, Gujarat.

The Navy has been a front-runner in driving transformation in the armed forces, 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.

According to Navy this is first-of-its-kind military flying mission.

It was 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.