9 Navy officers graduate as airborne tacticians

The Hindu Sub-lieutenants Priya Jeyakumar, Swetha, Santhosh Kumari and Sandhya Chauhan, who earned their 'wings' at a passing out parade at INS Garuda in Kochi on Saturday. Photo: Vipin Chandran

The short service commission observer course, this time round, was an all-woman affair

Nine Navy officers, including four women, two Coast Guard officers and an officer of the Sri Lankan Navy graduated as Observers — airborne tacticians aboard maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) — from the Observer School under the Southern Naval Command here on Saturday.

Trained in three separate batches — the ab initio permanent commission officers and Coast Guard officers' course; the short service commission officers' course; and the foreign officers' course — the young Observers were awarded the ‘wings' by Commodore M.R. Ajay Kumar, Naval Officer-in-Charge, Kerala, a veteran Observer himself, at an impressive passing out ceremony at the Aeronautical Engineering Department (AED) hangar at INS Garuda.

The short service commission observer course, this time round, was an all-woman affair, a first in the Navy. Sub-Lieutenants Priya Jeyakumar, Sandhya Chauhan, Swetha and Santosh Kumari earned their ‘wings,' following in the footsteps of Sub-Lts. Seema Rani Sarma and Ambica Hooda, the Navy's first airborne tacticians.

Tremendous growth

Commodore Ajay Kumar, in his address, said that naval aviation was way too different when he passed the [Observer] course three decades ago. “We were still using World War-II vintage platforms and new technology was just coming in. Something like the ‘GPS,' which is available even on mobile handsets now, was taught to us as a futuristic navigational aid. Women were not part of the force then. The world has since changed for the good,” he said.

The Commodore said that naval aviation was poised for a tremendous growth. “As airborne tacticians, you will decide ship movement operations. You are the first to arrive on a scene of action and you decide its course. The multiple tasks you carry out bestow so much responsibility on you and demand you to be a thoroughbred professional,” he said.

During their training at the Observer School commanded by Commander P.V.G.K. Nambiar, the Indian officers learnt tactics employed in air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and operations of the electronic intelligence systems aboard the Navy's maritime recce aircraft. They were also provided basic training in air navigation and flying procedures. The young Observers will now be posted to various maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare air squadrons of the Navy and the Coast Guard.

At the ceremony, Lieutenant B. Pradhan of the ab initio course won the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Rolling Trophy for standing first in flying, Sub-Lt. R.V. Kunte Memorial Book Prize for being adjudged the best in ground subjects and Uttar Pradesh Trophy for standing first in the overall order of merit.

He was also adjudged the best all-round trainee.

From the short service commission observer course, Sub-Lt. Priya Jeyakumar was adjudged the best in ground subjects; Sub-Lt. Santosh Kumari the best in flying; and Sub-Lt. Swetha the first in the overall order of merit.