Indian Navy | |
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भारतीय नौसेना Bhāratīya Nau Senā |
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Indian Navy crest
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Active | 1612- |
Country | India |
Type | Navy |
Size | 67,109 active personnel 295 ships & 251 aircraft |
Part of | Indian Armed Forces,(Ministry of Defence, Government of India) |
Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
Motto(s) |
शं नो वरुणः (Sanskrit) IAST: Shaṃ No Varunaḥ (May the Lord of the Water be auspicious unto us) |
Colours | Navy Blue, White |
March | Jai Bharati |
Fleet | 1 aircraft carriers 1 amphibious transport dock 8 landing ship tanks 11 destroyers 14 frigates 23 corvettes 4 mine countermeasure vessels 15 submarines 29 patrol vessels 4 replenishment oilers |
Engagements | |
Website | indiannavy.nic.in |
Commanders | |
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) | Admiral Sunil Lanba, AVSM, SM, ADC |
Vice Chief of Naval Staff | Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, AVSM |
Notable commanders |
Admiral S. M. Nanda |
Insignia | |
Naval Ensign | |
Naval Jack | |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | Mikoyan MiG-29K |
Patrol | Boeing P-8 Poseidon Ilyushin Il-38, Tupolev Tu-142 |
Reconnaissance | IAI Heron, IAI Searcher Mk II |
Trainer | BAE Hawk, HAL HJT-16 |
Equivalent ranks of Indian military
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Indian Navy | Indian Army | Indian Air Force |
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Admiral of the Fleet |
Field Marshal | Marshal of the Air Force |
Admiral | General | Air Chief Marshal |
Vice Admiral | Lieutenant General | Air Marshal |
Rear Admiral | Major General | Air Vice Marshal |
Commodore | Brigadier | Air Commodore |
Captain | Colonel | Group Captain |
Commander | Lieutenant Colonel | Wing Commander |
Lt. Commander | Major | Squadron Leader |
Lieutenant | Captain | Flight Lieutenant |
Sub Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Flying Officer |
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Master Chief Petty Officer 1st Class |
Subedar Major | Master warrant officer |
Master Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class |
Subedar | Warrant officer |
Chief Petty Officer |
Naib Subedar | Junior warrant officer |
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Petty Officer | Havildar | Sergeant |
Leading Seaman | Naik | Corporal |
Seaman 1 | Lance Naik | Leading aircraftsman |
Seaman 2 | Sepoy | Aircraftsman |
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The Indian Navy (IN; IAST: Bhāratīya Nau Senā) is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India serves as Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the navy. The Indian Navy is the fifth largest in the world. It played an important role in India's victory in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.
The Indian Navy can trace its lineage back to the East India Company's Marine which was founded in 1612 to protect British merchant shipping in the region. In 1793 the East India Company established its rule over eastern part of the Indian subcontinent i.e. Bengal, but it was not until 1830 that the colonial navy became known as Her Majesty's Indian Navy. In 1858, East India Company rule gave way to the British Raj which lasted until India became independent in 1947. When India became a republic in 1950, the Royal Indian Navy as it had been named since 1934 was renamed to Indian Navy. The 17th-century Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is considered as the 'Father of the Indian Navy'.
The primary objective of the navy is to secure the nation's maritime borders; India also uses its navy to enhance its international relations through joint exercises, port visits and humanitarian missions, including disaster relief. In recent years, the Indian Navy has undergone rapid modernisation to replace its ageing equipment currently in service, this is often seen as part of "India's drive" to develop blue-water capabilities and enhance its position in the Indian Ocean region.