Indian Naval Air Arm
|
Indian Naval Air Arm भारतीय नौसेना वायु शाखा |
|
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 |
| Country | India |
| Type | Naval Air Arm |
| Size | 5,000 personnel Approx. 212 aircraft |
| Part of | Indian Navy |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Rear Admiral PG Pynamootil , Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air). |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin flash |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Bomber | Tupolev Tu-142 |
| Fighter | Mikoyan MiG-29K |
| Interceptor | Mikoyan MiG-29K |
| Patrol | Ilyushin Il-38, Boeing P-8 |
| Reconnaissance | Ilyushin Il-38, Boeing P-8 |
| Trainer | BAE Hawk, HAL Kiran, Pilatus PC-7, Pipistrel Virus |
| Transport | Dornier Do 228 |
The Indian Naval Air Arm is a branch of Indian Navy which is tasked to provide an aircraft carrier based strike capability, fleet air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare.
Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) at Goa appears to direct the field operations of the air arm. FONA also serves as the Navy's Flag Officer Goa Area (FOGA).
The first naval air station, INS Garuda, was inaugurated in Cochin on 11 May 1953. This went hand-in-hand with the commissioning of the No.550 Squadron, utilising Short Sealand aircraft. and Fairey Firefly aircraft
1960 saw the No.300 White Tigers Squadron, consisting of Sea Hawks aircraft being commissioned.
In the very next year (1961), INS Vikrant (formerly HMS Hercules) was acquired by the Indian Navy. The Vikrant's initial airwing consisted of British Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers and a French Alize anti-submarine aircraft. On 18 May 1961, the first jet landed on board, piloted by Lieutenant (later Admiral) R H Tahiliani. That year, the No.310 Cobras Squadron (consisting of Alize aircraft) was commissioned. After playing an important role in several major Indian military actions, specifically the liberation of Goa and the India-Pakistan war in 1971, she was decommissioned in January 1997 and turned into a museum ship.
In 1976, the Indian Air Force handed over Super Constellation aircraft to the No.312 Albatross Squadron in Dabolim, Goa. Being fairly old aircraft at that point, these were withdrawn from active service by 1983. To replace them in the maritime patrol role, Soviet aircraft were acquired. The No. 315 Winged Stallions Squadron was commissioned in 1977 with the Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft.
In December 1961, INS Vikrant participated in Operation Vijay, the liberation of Goa from Portugal. Its role was primarily to deter foreign naval intervention during the 40-hour-long military action.
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Wikipedia