Launching missiles

During the six-month training programme, the officers are trained in handling guns, radars and missiles.

“The better you train in peace, the lesser you bleed in war,” says Major Baveja taking us through the gun drill.

With just over a month left for the course to conclude, the officers are towards the end of the tactical leg -- when they learn how to employ weapon systems in different theatres of war.

After a five-minute break, Lt Neha Singh, Lt Ratna Malik and Captain Neharika Bhardwaj take position for the IGLA surface to air missile that weighs around 18 kgs on their shoulder.

They jog with the hands clenched in a fist near the chest, prop the missile on the shoulder and take aim. A heat seeking missile, the IGLA latches on to the strongest heat signals and is used by the army, navy and air force.

The drill is conducted using a simulator that can indicate different parameters of engagement and also the errors of the officer who fires. Training is also done by using an aeromodel fitted onto a vehicle. The size of the aeromodel, distance of the vehicle from the officer who fires, the speed and direction can be varied to simulate different types of targets.

For an outsider, the sight of young women operating sophisticated weapons is not only novel but hugely impressive. Twentyone-year-old Lt Neha Singh says once they return to their units, they will be troop commanders. A troop consists of 25 to 80 men.

Reportage: Archana Masih. Photographs: Jewella C Miranda