Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday (July 27) some objects were located during the search for its missing military plane that disappeared into the Bay of Bengal after taking off from the southern city of Chennai with 29 people on board. 
 
The Indian Air Force (IAF) plane carrying 21 military personnel, six crew members and two civilians - was on its way to Port Blair, the capital of India&#39;s Andaman and Nicobar islands, when it disappeared from radar on Friday (July 22). 
 
Speaking to reporters after a function in southern Rameswaram town, Parrikar said it was yet to be confirmed if the located objects were that of the missing plane. 
 
&quot;There is no confirmed report of anything but there are some objects located. The ships have been asked to verify them and unless something is positively located, it cannot be confirmed. As of now it is only indicated. We are not leaving anything to chances. So, we have asked ship to check up,&quot; Parrikar said. 
 
Numerous ships, submarines and aircrafts are involved in extensive search for the plane that disappeared on a routine re-supply flight over the Bay of Bengal. 
 
The aircraft was last detected on radar 151 nautical miles east of Chennai, making a left turn with a rapid loss of height from 23,000 ft, according to a note provided by the air force to the Defence Ministry. 
 
The AN-32 is a workhorse of the air force, chosen for its ability to operate from short runways. 
 
The air force has 101 of the AN-32s that entered service in 1984 and have gone through mid-life upgrades and life extensions since then 
 
(Reuters) 
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Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said he has asked the ships to verify the located objects before confirming the findings

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday (July 27) some objects were located during the search for its missing military plane that disappeared into the Bay of Bengal after taking off from the southern city of Chennai with 29 people on board. The Indian Air Force (IAF) plane carrying 21 military personnel, six crew members and two civilians - was on its way to Port Blair, the capital of India's Andaman and Nicobar islands, when it disappeared from radar on Friday (July 22). Speaking to reporters after a function in southern Rameswaram town, Parrikar said it was yet to be confirmed if the located objects were that of the missing plane. "There is no confirmed report of anything but there are some objects located. The ships have been asked to verify them and unless something is positively located, it cannot be confirmed. As of now it is only indicated. We are not leaving anything to chances. So, we have asked ship to check up," Parrikar said. Numerous ships, submarines and aircrafts are involved in extensive search for the plane that disappeared on a routine re-supply flight over the Bay of Bengal. The aircraft was last detected on radar 151 nautical miles east of Chennai, making a left turn with a rapid loss of height from 23,000 ft, according to a note provided by the air force to the Defence Ministry. The AN-32 is a workhorse of the air force, chosen for its ability to operate from short runways. The air force has 101 of the AN-32s that entered service in 1984 and have gone through mid-life upgrades and life extensions since then (Reuters)

India locates objects during search for missing IAF plane

Creating history, Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh today became the first Indian women fighter pilots to be formally commissioned by the Indian Air Force (IAF). 
 
Batting for gender parity in the armed forces, Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who was chief guest at the combined graduation ceremony at Dundugal Air Force Academy, in the southern Telangana state, termed the event as a &quot;milestone&quot; as it also the first time that women had&nbsp;been given a combat role. 
 
&quot;It is a golden letter day...,&quot; he said, asserting that &quot;step-by-step&quot;, &quot;total gender parity&quot; will be achieved in the armed forces in the coming years. 
 
&quot;There are technical and administrative difficulties which we are likely to face in certain areas, so, step by step we will see that this parity is achieved. Number will depend on how many we can accommodate depending on our infrastructure,&quot; Parrikar said. 
 
Expressing happiness, the three women pilots, who successfully completed pre-commissioning training by the flight cadets of various branches of IAF, said they consider themselves &quot;fortunate&quot; and were excited to take on their duties. 
 
The trio will go to Bidar, a city&nbsp;in the southern state of Karnataka, for their stage-III training for a year on Hawk advanced jet trainers, before they get to fly supersonic warplanes. 
 
Six female cadets were competing to become fighter pilots after the Indian government, in a landmark move, approved an IAF plan in October to induct them as fighter pilots. 
 
However, only three female trainees were selected for the fighter stream. 
 
Parrikar, who reviewed the passing out parade, conferred &#39;President&#39;s Commission&#39; on behalf the President to 130 flight cadets, including 22 women trainees, who were commissioned as flying officers.

Out of six competing female cadets, three were selected for the fighter pilot's course and training

Creating history, Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh today became the first Indian women fighter pilots to be formally commissioned by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Batting for gender parity in the armed forces, Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who was chief guest at the combined graduation ceremony at Dundugal Air Force Academy, in the southern Telangana state, termed the event as a "milestone" as it also the first time that women had been given a combat role. "It is a golden letter day...," he said, asserting that "step-by-step", "total gender parity" will be achieved in the armed forces in the coming years. "There are technical and administrative difficulties which we are likely to face in certain areas, so, step by step we will see that this parity is achieved. Number will depend on how many we can accommodate depending on our infrastructure," Parrikar said. Expressing happiness, the three women pilots, who successfully completed pre-commissioning training by the flight cadets of various branches of IAF, said they consider themselves "fortunate" and were excited to take on their duties. The trio will go to Bidar, a city in the southern state of Karnataka, for their stage-III training for a year on Hawk advanced jet trainers, before they get to fly supersonic warplanes. Six female cadets were competing to become fighter pilots after the Indian government, in a landmark move, approved an IAF plan in October to induct them as fighter pilots. However, only three female trainees were selected for the fighter stream. Parrikar, who reviewed the passing out parade, conferred 'President's Commission' on behalf the President to 130 flight cadets, including 22 women trainees, who were commissioned as flying officers.

On cloud nine: Indian Air Force commissions its first women fighter pilots

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India locates objects during search for missing IAF plane

On cloud nine: Indian Air Force commissions its first women fighter pilots