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46-617: INS Shikra , formerly known as INS Kunjali , is an Indian naval air station located at Colaba in Mumbai , Maharashtra . It is a heliport . INS Kunjali was commissioned as a new establishment in Mumbai, post-Independence. The locale chosen for the establishment was the old Gun Carriage Basin on the sea front in Colaba, in the heart of South Mumbai. The area was used during the Second World War as

92-562: A French Alize anti-submarine aircraft. On 18 May 1961, the first jet landed on board, piloted by Lieutenant (later Admiral ) Radhakrishna Hariram 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-Pakistani war of 1971 , she

138-855: A Task Force. Secondary Roles: Anti-piracy , Anti-terrorist activities and assistance in Search and Rescue (SAR). Payloads: EO /IR, AIS, Maritime Patrol Radar, EW and communication relay with a capacity of >50 kg (110 lb). Endurance: >12 hours. 15 more on order. 6 on order The C-295 was eventually chosen. They will be equipped with advanced sensors, glass cockpit, advanced surveillance radar, ELINT , optical sensors and networking features. Ministry of Defence has given clearance for procurement on 16 February 2024. 12 in serice 6 more planned 19 on order Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) controls training, maintenance and other functions of naval aviation. Aircraft yards at Kochi , Kerala and Dabolim , Goa are responsible for maintaining

184-439: A depot for munitions of war and as a boat repair facility. With the acquisition of Alouette III helicopters (now HAL Chetak ) in 1963, the establishment was considered suitable for a helipad. The first time a helicopter operated from the base was on a temporary grass helipad in 1964. Alouette flights thereafter continued to operate from the helipad, on a makeshift and as required basis. Finally, on 3 April 1972 ‘Bombay flight’ of

230-633: A helicopter maintenance facility was set up in 1983. The Naval Air Station was renamed to INS Shikra in an impressive commissioning ceremony presided over by the Chief of the Naval Staff , Admiral Sureesh Mehta , PVSM , AVSM , ADC on 22 January 2009. The commissioning commanding officer was Captain Philipose George Pynumootil . INS Shikra has grown from a small helipad to a full-fledged Heliport providing support and maintenance facilities to

276-528: A host of roles including anti-submarine warfare (ASW) , anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) . The communication equipment like satellite communication and Identification, friend or foe (IFF) equipment for helicopters in this order have been indigenously developed. Deliveries commenced in July 2021 when the first 2 helicopters were handed to the Indian Navy. The helicopter

322-531: A large part of the Sea King fleet being grounded for want of spare parts. Seventeen of the Sea King helicopters will be upgraded. The upgrade will feature day and night capability, the capability to work in adverse weather conditions, integration of two anti-ship missiles with a range of fifty kilometers and a new radar. Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III : Also known as the Chetak, these choppers have seen active service in

368-593: A new airbase will be set up in Muscat , Oman to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Aden . Three years later in 2012 it is not clear whether any action has been taken on this proposal. The southernmost naval air station, INS Baaz was formally opened on 31 July 2012 by the Chief of the Indian Navy at Cambell Bay in Andaman and Nicobar Islands . With the commissioning of this station, the country acquired increased capability to keep vigil on

414-422: A retractable antenna dome in its belly. The cockpit accommodated a crew of three, including pilot, radar operator, and sensor operator. The pilot was seated in front on the left, the navigator in front on the right, and the sensor operator sat sideways behind them. The landing gear was of tricycle configuration, with the main gear retracting forwards into nacelles in the wings. The main gear had dual wheels, and

460-566: Is supposed to have read, "Chittagong harbour ablaze as ships and aircraft of the (Pakistan) Eastern Naval Fleet bombed and rocketed. Not a single vessel can be put to sea from Chittagong". Air strikes staged from Vikrant continued till 10 December 1971. Given naval intelligence that indicated the intent of the Pakistan Navy to break through the Indian Naval blockade using camouflaged merchant ships, Vikrant ' s Sea Hawks struck shipping in

506-533: Is the aviation branch and a fighting arm of the Indian Navy which is tasked to provide an aircraft carrier -based strike capability, fleet air defence , maritime reconnaissance , and anti-submarine warfare . The Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) appears to direct the field operations of the air arm. The first naval air station, INS Garuda , was inaugurated in Cochin on 11 May 1953. This went hand-in-hand with

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552-487: The Leopard -class frigate INS  Brahmaputra , as well as INS  Beas , Vikrant redeployed towards Chittagong at the outbreak of hostilities. The morning of 4 December 1971, the eight Sea Hawk aircraft on Vikrant launched an air raid on Cox's Bazar from 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) away. That evening, the air group struck Chittagong harbour. Other strikes targeted Khulna and Mongla. A PTI message

598-454: The Atlantique NG ocean-patrol aircraft, new OMEGA radio navigation gear, and a new ARAR 12 radar and radio location ("electronic support measures / ESM") system. Another upgrade program in the early 1990s fitted 24 of these aircraft with a new decoy system; a microcomputer-based data processing system; a datalink system; and other new avionics. Later in the decade, they were also fitted with

644-516: The Indian Navy . Some sources say that there were five preproduction prototypes, which may mean some of the prototypes were brought up to production standard and passed on to the Aéronavale ; and that India acquired 17 examples, which hints that they bought five used aircraft from the Aéronavale . The Indian Navy operated the Alizé from shore bases and from the light carrier INS  Vikrant . The Alizé

690-675: The Indian Peacekeeping Force 's Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, flying sorties against the LTTE and crippling the merchant ship Progress Light . The type was finally phased out in 1991, replaced in its duties by ASW helicopters. The Aéronavale provided the Alizé with a series of upgrades. A modernization program performed in the early 1980s refitted 28 of the aircraft to the Br.1050M standard, featuring improved Thomson-CSF Iguane radar as used on

736-575: The Chittagong and Cox's Bazar harbours, sinking or incapacitating most merchant ships there. The Hughes 269 helicopter was previously in service for training. The BAE Sea Harrier inducted in the 1980s operated from INS  Viraat . Until 6 March 2016, the BAE Sea Harrier FRS Mk.51 / T Mk.60 flew with the INAS 300 and INAS 552 squadrons of the Indian Navy. The Sea Harriers are armed with

782-514: The Goa-based INAS 321 was established with one Alouette III helicopter, two pilots and 17 sailors. On 1 August 1980, one more Chetak was added to the flight and the role of the squadron was enhanced to include VIP flight commitment, Fleet Requirement task including tracking for weapon alignment, casualty evacuation and SAR duties. With the introduction of helicopters on board ships, the base housed and operated these helicopters, when disembarked and

828-540: The Indian Navy started in 2009. The fighter plane is different from the MiG-29 flown by Indian Air Force . The aircraft has been modified for aircraft carrier operation by hardening the undercarriage. It also has much better 'over-the-nose' vision to make it easy to land aboard a carrier at a high angle of attack . Modifications made for Indian Navy requirement featured Zhuk-ME radar, RD-33MK engine, combat payload up to 5,500 kg (12,100 lb), 13 hardpoints (inclusive of

874-462: The Indian Navy took flight on 22 January 2007. The MIG-29 KUB (two-seat trainer) is similar to the MIG-29K but with reduced operational range. The aircraft will be fielded on the aircraft carrier INS  Vikramaditya . The first squadron, INAS 303 , the "Black Panthers", was commissioned on 11 May 2013. On 11 July 2016, second squadron, INAS 300 , was commissioned. The delivery of the aircraft to

920-740: The Matra Magic-II AAM and the Sea Eagle Anti-ship missiles. The aircraft were upgraded with the Elta EL/M-2032 radar and the Rafael Derby BVRAAM missiles. Year 1988 saw the induction of Tupolev 142M into service. The aircraft started operations from Dabolim in Goa and later shifted its operations to INS Rajali in 1992. Tu-142M was primarily used in the long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare role. The aircraft served

966-455: The MiG-29K prototype for possible induction into the Indian Navy. The Team evaluated the aircraft on ground as well as in the air (the flight evaluation was conducted by a Navy Test Pilot Commander Ahuja). Some other aircraft were also evaluated but the MiG-29K was chosen. On 20 January 2004, the Indian Navy signed a contract for 12 single-seat MiG-29K and 4 two-seat MiG-29KUB. The first MIG-29K for

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1012-558: The MiG-29KUB), a French Sigma-95 satellite GPS module and Topsight E helmet-mounted targeting system compatible with the full range of weapons carried by the MiG-29M and MiG-29SMT. New Delhi and Boeing signed a $ 2.1 billion contract in January 2009 to deliver eight P-8Is for anti-submarine operations, to replace the ageing fleet of Russian-manufactured Tupolev Tu142M planes. The P-8I varies from

1058-683: The Navy as well as the Coast Guard. They are carried on several combatants as well as non-combatant ships. They are also operated from and maintained at the INS Shikra and INS Utkrosh Naval Air Stations in Mumbai and Port Blair respectively. Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk : The Indian Government signed a $ 2.4 billion contract in February 2020 for 24 MH-60R helicopters to replace its fleet of Sea King helicopters. The Seahawks will be Indian Navy's primary helicopter for

1104-517: The Navy received its first Dhruvs on 28 March 2002. It is expected to receive a total of 120 units to replace the Chetak helicopters in service. The naval variant is fitted with the Super Vision-2000 maritime radar, capable of detecting targets with low radar cross-section at a range of 200 km (120 mi). The anti-submarine version of the helicopter is fitted with dunking sonar, torpedoes, depth charges. The helicopter may also be fitted with

1150-512: The P-8A, wherein it has a Magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) and an aft-mounted radar that provides it with 360-degree aerial radar surveillance capability. It features communication and other devices on-board that have been indigenously developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) . The first squadron, INAS 312 , was formed with eight aircraft in November 2015. A follow-on order worth over $ 1 billion for

1196-570: The Thomson-CSF TTD Optronique Chlio forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imaging sensor. Despite the upgrades, by this time the Alizé was clearly not capable of hunting modern nuclear submarines, and so it was relegated to ocean surface patrol. As late as 1997, the Aéronavale was still operating 24 examples for surface patrol. The Alizé was used operationally during the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia over Kosovo in early 1999, with

1242-412: The commissioning of the No.550 Squadron , utilising Short Sealand aircraft and Fairey Firefly aircraft 1960 saw the commissioning of No.300 White Tigers Squadron , consisting of Sea Hawks . In the very next year (1961), INS  Vikrant (formerly HMS Hercules ) was acquired by the Indian Navy . Vikrant ' s initial airwing consisted of British Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers and

1288-794: The fleet's air arm. An exclusive base, INS Shikra for helicopters was commissioned in Mumbai . To protect and preserve India's growing trade with Southeast Asia and offer a defence against increasing Chinese naval presence in the Bay of Bengal, a new naval base is being built near Visakhapatnam . It is expected to be capable of harbouring two aircraft carriers, including the planned new Vikrant-class aircraft carrier . There are two more naval air stations, INS Rajali and INS Parundu in Tamil Nadu . Southern Command has at least one airfield, INS Garuda , in Kochi , Kerala . The Hindu reported on 2 February 2009 that

1334-440: The front part of the nacelles accommodated sonobuoys . The Alizé had a yoke-style arresting hook . The internal weapons bay could accommodate a homing torpedo or depth charges , and underwing stores pylons could carry bombs, depth charges, rockets, or missiles. Typical underwing stores included 68 mm (2.68 in) rocket pods or AS.12 wire-guided antiship missiles. The prototype Alizé first flew on 6 October 1956. It

1380-473: The integral flights of the fleet and aviation requirements of the Western Naval Command . The facilities continue to expand to cater for increasing numbers of helicopters being inducted on board ships. Its primary role is to provide administrative, technical and logistic support for all squadrons and flights based in Mumbai. In addition, it undertakes coastal patrol, air surveillance in the area and meets

1426-559: The inventory have become imperative for the Navy given the scenario of low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO) and coastal security construct." In 2013 Indian Navy showed keen interest in the armed version of the HAL Rudra . Impressed with the Dhruv's sensors which were able to track ships and also read their names at ranges of 12 to 14 km (7.5 to 8.7 mi). The Navy may induct 20 more helicopters into service. A new squadron INAS 323 Harriers

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1472-632: The mid-80s and were said to be a quantum leap over their predecessors from an ASW standpoint. The Ka-31 takes the Kamov capabilities even further by enabling real-time network-centric warfare for the Indian Navy. Westland Sea King and the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King : Used principally for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and search & rescue roles, the helicopter fleet operate from INS Garuda (Kochi) as well as INS Shikra air stations. US sanctions on India in response to India's nuclear tests resulted in

1518-480: The missiles for anti-ship roles. However, in 2008, the Indian Navy pronounced Dhruv unsuitable for its role as an ASW platform. Indian Navy will continue to procure Dhruv as a multi-role utility platform. During the commissioning ceremony Vice Admiral Sinha said that "In the Navy, Dhruv helicopters have transformed into an advanced search and rescue (SAR) helicopter also used for missions like heliborne operations, and armed patrol with night vision devices. Such machines in

1564-417: The multi-lock bomb carriers), additional fuel tanks situated in dorsal spine fairing and wing LERXs , increased total fuel capacity by 50% comparing to first variant of MiG-29 and an updated 4-channel digital fly-by-wire flight control system. With special coatings, the MiG-29K radar reflecting surface is 4–5 times smaller than of basic MiG-29. Cockpit displays consist of wide HUDs , 3 colour LCD MFDs (7 on

1610-647: The navy till 2018 and participated in the Indian Peace Keeping Mission in Sri Lanka. Also participated in Operation Cactus in Maldives, in which the fleeing mercenaries were detected and tracked until apprehended by ships. On 11 May 2013, first squadron of MiG-29K was commissioned. These aircraft were commissioned as a replacement of the ageing Sea Harrier. after 46 years of service the Il-38 patrol aircraft

1656-424: The operational flying requirements of the Western Naval Command . It also has a major helicopter maintenance depot providing accommodation and maintenance facilities for Westland Sea Kings , Kamov Ka 27s and HAL Chetaks , adding up to 17 helicopters and meeting a task of over 4000 flying hours annually. Naval Air Squadrons based at INS Shikra include: Indian Naval Air Arm The Indian Naval Air Arm

1702-851: The purchase of four additional P-8Is was signed in July 2016. The Indian Navy decommissioned the Tupolev Tu-142M aircraft in March 2017. With Boeing delivering the 12th and the final P-8I in February 2022, the second squadron, INAS 316 , with four aircraft was formed in March 2022. Indian Navy operates 27 Dornier 228 and in process to induct 8 more state-of-the-art Dornier for anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited . These aircraft are equipped with advanced sensors, glass cockpit, advanced surveillance radar, ELINT, optical sensors and networking features. Currently 4 of Dornier 228 NG aircraft in service in INAS 314 . HAL Dhruv ; developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ,

1748-555: The range of surveillance. There are plans to introduce rotary UAVs into the Indian Navy. These UAVs will have higher endurance and load carrying capability resulting in better reconnaissance capabilities. Indian Navy operates 2 leased MQ-9 Reaper for maritime surveillance in the Indian Ocean region. INAS 551 INAS 551 , INAS 552 Primary Roles: C4 , ISTAR , SIGNIT , COMINT and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) operations for

1794-459: The vital maritime channel of the Straits of Malacca . Four naval aviators have risen to become the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) - Admirals R. H. Tahiliani , Arun Prakash , Sureesh Mehta and Karambir Singh . Breguet Alize The Alizé was a low-wing monoplane of conventional configuration powered by a single Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine. It had a CSF radar system with

1840-537: 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. INS Vikrant played a major role in the successful naval blockade of East Pakistan . Stationed off the Andaman & Nicobar Islands escorted by

1886-507: Was commissioned with HAL Dhruv MKIII variant. Navy placed order for 16 MKIII helicopters and 6 of them are delivered with the remaining 10 to be delivered by Dec 2021. Naval variant of MKIII comes with 19 specific systems suited for maritime role. Kamov Ka-25 , Kamov Ka-28 , and the Kamov Ka-31 : The Ka-25 was acquired by the Indian Navy in 1980 for anti-submarine warfare , but had severe technological limitations. The Ka-28s were acquired in

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1932-558: 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

1978-610: Was exhibited at the Paris Air Show at Paris Le Bourget Airport in May 1957. A total of 89 examples of the Alizé were built between 1957 and 1962, including two preproduction prototypes. 75 production aircraft were acquired by the Aéronavale , with initial service delivery in March 1959. The Alizé went into operation on the carriers Arromanches , Clémenceau and Foch , and were also used in shore-based training. 12 were acquired by

2024-495: Was integrated with INS Vikrant in May 2023 with its maiden landing on the aircraft carrier. The first squadron, INAS 334 , was formed with six helicopters in March 2024, at Kochi. All remaining helicopters to be delivered by 2025. The Indian Navy operates at least two squadrons of Heron and Searcher Mk-II UAVs, based in Kochi ( INAS 342 ) and Porbandar ( INAS 343 ). There are plans to have at least two more squadrons of UAVs. UAVs are controlled from ships to increases

2070-557: Was retired from the force on 31 October 2023. More P-8I aircraft are planned to replace them. The Naval Aviation Museum located in Bogmalo, 6 km (3.7 mi) from Vasco da Gama, Goa , India showcases the history of the Naval Air Arm. As reported by MiG Bureau, the Indian Navy's association with the MiG-29K began in Apr 2002 when a team led by Commander Gupta reached Moscow to evaluate

2116-524: Was used for reconnaissance and patrol during India's 1961 liberation of Portuguese controlled Goa , and was also used for ASW patrol during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 , during which one Alizé was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force F-104 Starfighter . It also sank three gunboats . The Alizé dwindled in numbers in the Indian Navy during the 1980s, was relegated to shore-based patrol in 1987. Nevertheless, they were employed that year in support of

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