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 at Goa appears to direct the field operations
of the air arm. FONA also serves as the Navy's Flag Officer Goa Area.
History 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, INS Vikrant 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 R H Tahiliani. That year, the No.310
Cobras Squadron 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 Being fairly old aircraft at that point, these were withdrawn from active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. INS Vikrant played a major role in the
successful Naval blockade of East Pakistan. Stationed off the Andaman &
Nicobar Islands escorted by the Leopard class frigate INS Brahmaputra, as well
as INS Beas, the Vikrant redeployed towards Chittagong at the outbreak of
hostilities. The morning of 4 December 1971, the eight Sea Hawk aircraft on the
Vikrant launched an air raid on Cox's Bazaar from 60 nm away. That evening,
the air group struck Chittagong harbour. Other strikes targeted Khulna and
Mongla. A PTI message is supposed to have read, "Chittagong harbour abalze as
ships and aircraft of the Eastern Naval Fleet bombed and rocketed. Not a single
vessel can be put to sea from Chittagong". Air strikes staged from the
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, the Vikrant's Sea Hawks struck shipping in
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 Naval Aviation Museum located in
Bogmalo, 6 km from Vasco da Gama, Goa, India showcases the history of the Naval
Air Arm. Aircraft inventory
= Fixed-wing aircraft = Mikoyan MiG-29K
The Mikoyan MiG-29K program was revived by Russia in response to the decision of
the Indian Navy to acquire the Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. 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 the MiG-29K prototype for possible induction into the Indian Navy.
The Team evaluated the aircraft on ground as well as in the air. 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 the Indian Navy took flight on 22 January
2007. The MIG-29 KUB 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, christened "Black Panthers", was commissioned on 11
May 2013. The delivery of the aircraft to the Indian Navy started in 2009, and
by July 2015, 33 had been inducted, with 12 more to be delivered.
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, 13 hardpoints, 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, 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.
BAE Sea Harrier The BAE Sea Harrier operates from the
INS Viraat. The BAE Sea Harrier FRS Mk.51 / T Mk.60 fly with the INAS 300
and INAS 552 squadrons of the Indian Navy. They were first acquired by the
Indian Navy in the mid-1980s. After years of undergoing maintenance in the
UK, the Indian Navy launched Project Ashok to set up a maintenance facility
in Kochi in 1994. India expressed interest in buying some surplus FRS.2
Sea Harrier when the Royal Navy decommissioned them, but British
Government did not accept to sell them with the Blue Vixen radar.
A mid-life upgrade in 1999 for this aircraft was cancelled when the decision
was made to purchase MiG-29K air defence fighters, to be deployed aboard the INS
Vikramaditya. The Sea Harriers are armed with 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. Though the Sea Harriers were
expected to remain in service with the Indian Navy till 2012–15, limited
upgrades are being performed on these Sea Harriers by Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited, to extend the life of the aircraft by 15 years.
Boeing P-8I Neptune New Delhi and Boeing have signed a $2.1
billion contract to deliver 12 P-8I Neptune for anti-submarine operations.
The new aircraft will replace a fleet of Russian-manufactured Tupolev-142M
planes. P-8I varies from the P-8A, with the Magnetic anomaly detector has been
kept intact while an aft-mounted radar provides 360-degree aerial radar
surveillance capability. Many of the communication and other devices on-board
are developed by Bharat Electronics Limited. The first plane was
commissioned in to the force to be followed by rest of them.
Tupolev Tu-142 The Indian Navy operates eight Tu-142
aircraft, which entered service in 1988. Upgrading of the aircraft are taking
place, which helps to extend the service life of the aircraft by sixteen years.
One of the upgraded aircraft has been handed over to the Indian Navy. The
aircraft operate from INS Rajali and INS Hansa. Two Tu-142 aircraft are being
fitted with the air-launched version of the BrahMos. The aircraft will be the
test platform for the BrahMos cruise missiles. The integration and tests of
the missile is expected to be completed by 2010. Eight aircraft will be fitted
with the BrahMos cruise missiles. The Tu-142 aircraft are in the process of
being replaced by the Boeing P-8I Neptune long range maritime aircraft.
Ilyushin Il-38 Indian Navy operates 5 Il-38 planes.
Currently they are being upgraded to use Sea Dragon suite.
= Helicopters = HAL Dhruv; developed by Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited, 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. The anti-submarine version of the helicopter is fitted with dunking
sonar, torpedoes, depth charges. The helicopter may also be fitted with the
missiles for anti-ship roles. However, in 2008, 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 has
transformed into an advanced search and rescue helicopter also used for missions
like heliborne operations, and armed patrol with night vision devices. Such
machines in the inventory have become imperative for the Navy given the
scenario of low intensity maritime operations 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. The Navy may
induct 20 more helicopters into service. 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
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 and search & rescue roles, the helicopter fleet
operate from INS Garuda as well as INS Kunjali-II air stations. US sanctions on
India in response to India's nuclear tests resulted in 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, capability to work in adverse weather conditions, integration
of two anti-ship missiles with a range of fifty kilometres and a new radar.
Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III: Also known as the Chetak, these choppers have
seen active service in the Navy as well as the Coast Guard. They are carried on
several combatant as well as non-combatant ships. They are also
operated from and maintained at the INS Kunjali-II and INS Utkrosh Naval Air
Stations in Mumbai and Port Blair respectively.
= UAVs = The Indian Navy operates at least two
squadrons of Heron and Searcher Mk-II UAVs, based in Kochi and Porbandar.
There are plans to have at least two more squadrons of UAVs. UAVs are
controlled from ships to increases 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. Future aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft HAL Tejas: The naval variant of the
Tejas will have strengthened landing gear and other necessary modifications
for service on an aircraft carrier. Trials are being carried out at the
Shore Based Test Facility constructed at the naval airbase INS Hansa in Goa. The
Indian Navy plans has a requirement for 40 or 50 Tejas to equip two front-line
squadrons to operate from aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS
Vikrant. The Indian navy has placed an order for its first six Tejas at an
approximate cost of ₹1.5 billion per aircraft, the total order amounts to ₹9
billion. 15 NAL Saras aircraft have been ordered,
mostly to replace the Dornier Do-228. The Navy has a requirement for 25 Saras
aircraft and design changes are being conducted on the aircraft for using it
in maritime environment. 17 Hawk Trainer: 10 delivered, rest by
2016-2017' HAL HJT-36 trainer aircraft to replace
the older HAL Kiran. Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance
Aircraft: The Indian Navy issued an RFP for six medium-range maritime
reconnaissance aircraft. The possible contenders are; the ATR-72MP/ATR-42MP,
the EADS C-295MPA/C-235MPA, the Dassault's Falcon 900MPA and the Embraer
P-99A. The procurement number has been enhanced to 9 as per news reports in
February 2012. ShinMaywa US-2: Indian navy intends to
acquire 12 US-2 amphibian aircraft for conducting long-range search-and-rescue
operations at cost of $1.65 billion. 2 US-2 will be directly imported and
remaining 10 will be assembled locally in India.
Helicopters Naval Multi-role Helicopter: 16 S-70B
Seahawk helicopters have been selected for the tender with an additional 8
helicopters as options. They will replace the Westland Sea King
Naval Utility Helicopter: In 2012 the Indian Navy launched a US$1 billion
global tender for the purchase of 56 light naval utility helicopters,
entering service starting 2016 to replace the ageing HAL Chetak. The
tender was issued to AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter, Boeing, Eurocopter,
Kamov and Sikorsky. However it was reported that the tender was cancelled
in August 2014. UAVs
The IAI-HAL NRUAV is a requirement for an unmanned helicopter capable of
conducting ISR missions. Structure
Flag Officer Naval Aviation controls training, maintenance and other
functions of naval aviation. Aircraft yards at Kochi, Kerala and Dabolim, Goa
are responsible for maintaining 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 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 Bazz
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 the vital maritime channel
of the Straits of Malacca. See also
Indian Coast Guard List of Indian naval aircraft
List of active Indian military aircraft Naval ranks and insignia of India
Middle Ground Coastal Battery Project Seabird
Indian Ancient Maritime History Naval Aviation Museum
References External links
Indian Navy Pilot training facility at US NAS Kingsville, Texas, USA
Naval Air Arm Indian Naval Aviation – Part 1 @
ACIG.org Indian Naval Aviation – Part 2 @
ACIG.org Naval Tejas, lca-tejas.org
Documentary on YouTube on the INS Vikrant
Video of IL-38 of IN firing anti-ship missile
YouTube video by user vishv with some good photographs
INS Vikrant docked in Mumbai Image of Kamov helicopter