Kochi: Another male bastion would soon
fall in the Indian Armed Forces when, for the first time in
Naval history, two women officers would don flying overalls at
a function here on November 20.
The Indian Navy has taken a huge step forward in
giving women equal opportunities in the Armed Forces by
allowing entry for females as Short Service Officers in the
Observer Cadre, Naval sources told.
The Naval Aviation, for the first time since its
inception 56 years ago, has inducted women combatant officers
as Observers on board its fleet of maritime patrol aircraft
(MPA), they said.
Sub Lieutenants Seema Rani Sharma and Ambica Hooda
would be the Navy`s first women observers (airborne
tacticians). Selected for Short Service Commission, they were
initially trained at the Indian Naval Academy for an
Orientation Course followed by training at the Observer School
located at INS Garuda here.
The officers will be operating weapons, sensors,
radars and navigate aircraft, they said.
During their 16-month training period, the two women
went through a `grinding` schedule which included Air
Navigation, understanding complex maritime environment,
Tactics of Naval warfare besides flying training in
state-of-the-art sophisticated Dornier aircraft.
The training would end with the award of the coveted
`wing` here on November 20. The two officers would then be
incorporated in the Maritime Patrol Squadrons of the Navy
which maintains `hawk eyed` vigil on the nation`s maritime
frontiers.
Bureau Report
