Which elite Naval Air squadron in the Andaman & Nicobar Command carried out the maiden all-women maritime surveillance mission on March 08, 2024?  

Solution

·         A maiden all-women maritime surveillance mission was undertaken by the Andaman & Nicobar Command on the 40th anniversary of INAS 318 and International Women’s Day on March 08, 2024 .    ·         The crew based at INS Utkrosh comprised Lt Cdr Shubhangi Swaroop , Lt Cdr Divya Sharma and Lt Vaishali Mishra.   ·         The occasion highlighted the crucial role played by women combatants in all the walks of the Naval Air Arm, which included pre-flight briefing, meteorological briefing, medical check-up and Air Traffic Control (ATC) briefing, all of which w ere conducted by women officers .   ·         INAS 318 is the elite Naval Air squadron in the Andaman & Nicobar Command , continuously engaged in surveillance role since its commissioning on March 08, 1984 .   ·         The squadron commenced its journey with the induction of Islander aircraft which were replac ed by Dornier aircraft in 1999.   ·         The Dornier aircraft is capable of carrying out long range maritime surveillance using state-of-the-art Maritime Patrol Radars.