List of Indian naval air squadrons

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Template:Multiple image Template:Multiple image The Indian Navy currently operates twenty-four air squadrons. Of these, eleven operate fixed-wing aircraft, nine are helicopter squadrons and the remaining three are equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Building on the legacy inherited from the Royal Navy prior to Indian independence, the concept of naval aviation in India started with the establishment of Directorate of Naval Aviation at Naval Headquarters (NHQ) in early 1948. Later that year officers and sailors from the Indian Navy were sent to Britain for pilot training. In 1951, the Fleet Requirement Unit (FRU) was formed to meet the aviation requirements of the navy. On 1 January 1953, the charge of Cochin airfield was handed over to the navy from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. On 11 March, the FRU was commissioned at Cochin with ten newly acquired Sealand aircraft. The navy's first air station, INS Garuda, was commissioned two months later. From February 1955 to December 1958, ten Firefly aircraft were acquired. To meet the training requirements of the pilots, the indigenously developed HAL HT-2 trainer was inducted into the FRU. On 17 January 1959, the FRU was commissioned as Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 550, to be the first Indian naval air squadron.Template:Sfn In the following two years, three more naval air squadrons—INAS 300, INAS 310 and INAS 551—were commissioned. The first two operated from the newly purchased aircraft carrier Template:INS flying Sea Hawks and Alizés, whereas the latter one, equipped with Vampires, was used for training purposes.[1][2][3]

Between 1961 and 1971, three helicopter squadrons were commissioned—INAS 321, INAS 330 and INAS 561. The first two were equipped with HAL Chetak and Sea King 42Bs for search and rescue and anti-submarine roles respectively, whereas the later one assumed a training role.[4][5][6] In December 1971, the squadrons embarked on the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant saw action in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.Template:Sfn Between 1976 and 1977, INAS 312 and INAS 315 were commissioned with Super Constellation and Ilyushin Il-38s respectively.[7][8] In December 1980, another helicopter squadron intended for anti-submarine warfare—INAS 333—was commissioned. It was initially equipped with Ka-25s, and with Ka-28s in late 1980s. In 1984, one patrol and one helicopter squadron—INAS 318 and INAS 336—were commissioned. The patrol squadron was initially equipped with Islander aircraft, but they were replaced by Dornier 228s in 2000.[9][10] In November 1990, another Sea King squadron—INAS 339—was commissioned. Later in 1993, the Sea Kings were replaced by Ka-28s, and in 2003, Ka-31s were inducted, making it the only Indian naval air squadron for the role of airborne early warning and control.[11]

Though several new fixed wing aircraft and helicopters were inducted into the navy in the early 2000s, they were assigned to the existing squadrons with no new squadrons being commissioned until 2006. In January of that year, INAS 342, the first squadron to be equipped with UAVs, was commissioned.[12] Later that year, the Sea Harrier training assigned to INAS 551 were detached and commissioned separately as INAS 552.[13] However, the Sea Harriers were phased out in May 2016, and presently the operational status of the squadron is unknown.[14] On 24 March 2009, for the first time, two squadrons—INAS 311 and INAS 350—were commissioned on the same day. INAS 311 is intended for maritime patrol and operates Dornier 228s, whereas INAS 350, a multirole helicopter squadron, operates Sikorsky SH-3s.[15][16] In 2011–2012, another two UAV squadrons—INAS 343 and INAS 344—were commissioned.[17][18] In 2013, a fighter plane and a multirole helicopter squadron—INAS 303 and INAS 322—were commissioned with MiG-29Ks and HAL Dhruvs.[19]

List of Squadrons

Template:Legend2

Squadron name Insignia Nickname Aircraft operated Role Established Citations
Aircraft Period
INAS 300 INAS 300 insignia White Tigers Hawker Sea Hawk Template:Dts – Template:DtsTemplate:Sfn Fighter Template:Dts [1]
BAE Sea Harrier Template:Dts – Template:Dts[20]
Mikoyan MiG 29K/KUB Template:Dts – present[14]
INAS 303 INAS 303 insignia Black Panthers Mikoyan MiG-29K Template:Dts – present[21] Fighter Template:Dts [19]
INAS 310 INAS 310 insignia Cobras Breguet Alizé Br.1050 Template:Dts – Template:Dts[22] Anti-submarine warfare Template:Dts [2]
Dornier 228 Template:Dts – present[22] Template:Plainlist
INAS 311 INAS 311 insignia Kites Dornier 228 Template:Dts – present[15] Template:Plainlist Template:Dts [15]
INAS 312 INAS 312 insignia Albatross Lockheed Super Constellation Template:Dts – Template:Dts[23] Template:Plainlist Template:Dts [7]
Tupolev TU-142M Template:Dts – Template:Dts[23][24]
Boeing P-8I PoseidonTemplate:Efn Template:Dts – present[25][26]
INAS 313 INAS 313 insignia Sea Eagle Dornier 228 Template:Dts – present Template:Plainlist Template:Dts [27]
INAS 314 INAS 314 insignia Raptors Dornier 228 Template:Dts – present Template:Plainlist Template:Dts [28]
INAS 315 INAS 315 insignia Winged Stallions Ilyushin Il-38 Template:Dts – presentTemplate:Sfn[8] Template:Plainlist Template:Dts [8]
INAS 316 INAS 316 insignia The Condors Boeing P-8I Poseidon 29 March 2022 – present Maritime patrol

Anti-submarine warfare

29 March 2022 [29]
INAS 318 INAS 318 insignia Hawks Britten-Norman Islander Template:Dts – Template:DtsTemplate:Sfn[9] Maritime patrol Template:Dts [9]
Dornier 228 Template:Dts – presentTemplate:Sfn
INAS 321* INAS 321 insignia Angels Alouette III/
HAL ChetakTemplate:Efn 		Template:Dts – presentTemplate:Sfn Search and rescue Template:Dts [4]
INAS 322* INAS 322 insignia Guardians HAL Dhruv Template:Dts – present[30] Multirole Template:Dts [31]
INAS 323* Harriers HAL Dhruv Mk.III MR Template:Dts – present Multirole Template:Dts [32]
INAS 324* Kestrels HAL Dhruv Mk.III MR Template:Dts – present Multirole Template:Dts [33]
INAS 330* INAS 330 insignia Harpoons Sea King 42B Template:Dts – presentTemplate:Sfn Anti-submarine warfare Template:Dts [5]
INAS 333* INAS 333 insignia Eagles Kamov Ka-25 Template:Dts – Template:Dts[34] Anti-submarine warfare Template:Dts [34]
Kamov Ka-28 Template:Dts – present[34]
INAS 336* INAS 336 insignia Flaming Arrows Sea King 42B Template:Dts – present[10] Template:Plainlist Template:Dts Template:Sfn[10]
INAS 339* INAS 339 insignia Falcons Sea King 42B Template:Dts – Template:Dts[11] Airborne early warning and control Template:Dts [11]
Kamov Ka-28 Template:Dts – Template:Dts[11]
Kamov Ka-31 Template:Dts – present[11]
INAS 342 INAS 342 insignia Flying Sentinels Template:Plainlist Template:Dts – present[12] Reconnaissance Template:Dts [12]
INAS 343 INAS 343 insignia Frontier Formidables Template:Plainlist Template:Dts – present[17] Reconnaissance Template:Dts [17]
INAS 344 INAS 344 insignia Spirited Shadowers Template:Plainlist Template:Dts – present[18] Reconnaissance Template:Dts [18]
INAS 350* INAS 350 insignia Saras Sikorsky UH-3H Template:Dts – present[16] Multirole Template:Dts [16]
INAS 550 INAS 550 insignia Flying Fish Short Sealand Template:Dts – mid Template:DtssTemplate:Sfn Maritime patrol Template:Dts [35]
Fairey Firefly Template:Dts – scrappedTemplate:Efn
HAL HT-2Template:Efn Template:Dts – Template:Dts[35]
Britten-Norman Islander Template:Dts – 2016[35]
HAL HPT-32 Template:Dts – Template:Dts[35]
Dornier 228 Template:Dts – presentTemplate:Sfn
INAS 551 INAS 551 insignia Phantoms de Havilland Vampire Template:Dts – Template:Dts[36] Training Template:Dts [3]
Hawker Sea Hawk Template:Dts – Template:Dts[3]
Kiran Mk 1 Template:Dts – Template:Dts[3]
Kiran Mk 2 Template:Dts – present[3]
BAE Sea HarrierTemplate:Efn Template:Dts – Template:Dts[13]
BAE Hawk Mk 132[37] November 2013 – Present[38]
Kiran Mk 2 Template:Dts – present[3] Aerobatics
INAS 552 INAS 552 insignia Braves BAE Sea Harrier Template:Dts – Template:Dts[20] Flight testing Template:Dts [13]
INAS 561* INAS 561 insignia Rotors Hughes S-300 Template:Dts – Template:Dts[6] Training Template:Dts [6]
Alouette III/
HAL ChetakTemplate:Efn 		Template:Dts – present[6]

See also

Notes

Footnotes
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 History of Indian Naval Air Squadron 300. SP's MAI. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Indian Navy's INAS 310 celebrates 50 glorious years. Brahmand. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Kiran MK 1/1A/2 INAS 551. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chetak/Allouette INAS 321. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sea King 42B. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 INAS 561 – Helicopter Training School. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Naval reconnaissance squadron celebrates silver jubilee. The Hindu(2013-11-19). Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 IL38 INAS 315. Indian Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Dornier INAS 3118. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Seaking INAS 336. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Kamov 28 INAS 339. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 UAV INAS 342. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named INAS 552 – The Braves
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 De-induction of Sea Harrier and Induction of MiG 29K Fighter Aircraft. Indian Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Dorniers INAS 311. Indian Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 INAS 350. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Indian Naval Air Squadron 343. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 INAS 344 Commissioned. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 CNS Address: Commissioning Of INAS 303. Indian Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Indian Navy to bid adieu to Sea Harrier Fighters. Indian Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  21. ↑ Antony to commission MIG-29 K fighters into Navy. News18(6 May 2013). Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Dorniers INAS 310. Indian Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 INAS 312 celebrates Silver Jubilee. Indian Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  24. ↑ Indian Navy to de-induct long-range patrol aircraft TU 142M after 29 years of service. The Economic Times(26 March 2017). Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  25. ↑ Navy's Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft Boeing P-8I Dedicated to the Nation. Indian Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  26. ↑ India Inducts First Squadron of Anti-submarine warfare Plane. The Diplomat. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  27. ↑ Indian Navy Commissions Dornier Squadron INAS 313 at Chennai. Ministry of Defence(22 July 2019).
  28. ↑ Commissioning of INAS 314 - "RAPTORS". Indian Navy(29 November 2019).
  29. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  30. ↑ The squadron, named Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 322, will help in advanced search and rescue (SAR) missions, heliborne operations, and armed patrol with night-vision devices. The Times of India. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  31. ↑ ALH (Dhruv) INAS 322. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  32. ↑ INAS 323 commissioned at Goa as first unit of indigenously built ALH MK III enters Naval Service. PIB(2021-04-19).
  33. ↑ Indian Navy commissions the first ALH Squadron INAS 324 in Visakhapatnam. The Hindu(4 July 2022).
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Kamov 25 INAS 333. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 INAS 550 – The Flying Fish. Indian Navy. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  36. ↑ Tank Busting In The Chamb. Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  37. ↑ Hawk Mk 132.
  38. ↑ Advanced Jet Trainer Aircraft Joins Navy.
Citations

References

Template:Refbegin

  • [{{{url}}} Transition to Triumph: History of the Indian Navy, 1965–1975]. Lancer Publishers LLC.
  • [{{{url}}} Transition to Eminence: The Indian Navy, 1976–1990]. Lancer Publishers LLC.
  • [{{{url}}} Transition to Guardianship: The Indian Navy, 1991–2000]. Lancer Publishers LLC.

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