A batch of 15 officers of the Indian Navy, including a woman officer, and three officers of the Indian Coast Guard graduated as 'Observers' at a passing out parade held at INS Garuda, Kochi, on Tuesday.
Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan,VSM, Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) reviewed the parade and awarded ‘golden wings’ to the officers who have graduated.
The officers, belonging to the 90th Regular and 21st Short Service Commission (SSC) Observer Course, were trained in air navigation, flying procedures, tactics employed in air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and exploitation of airborne avionic systems. They will serve as ‘Airborne Tacticians’ onboard Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.
Lieutenant Commander Harsukh Dadhich from Regular Observer Course was awarded the Uttar Pradesh trophy, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command Trophy and the Sub Lieutenant R.V. Kunte Memorial Book Prize on being adjudged 'first in overall order of merit', 'best in flying' and ‘best in ground subjects’ respectively while Sub Lieutenant Syed Abdul Kader from the SSC Observer Course was awarded the Book Prize for being adjudged ‘best in overall order of merit’.
Four officers—three from the Indian Navy and one from the Indian Coast Guard—graduated as Qualified Navigation Instructors (QNIs) on the occasion. QNIs are trained in instructional techniques to be applied both on ground and during flying, as well as provided in-depth knowledge of tactics and sensor exploitation. These officers would now serve as Qualified Navigation Instructors at the Observer School before proceeding to take up operational assignments at various frontline naval air squadrons.
The four new QNIs were also awarded the ‘Instructor Torch’ by FOST.
