Aerospace Diary

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Sept 4, 2011 INS Hansa, Indian Navy’s premier Air station and fighter training squadron INAS 551 turns 50 on Sept 5. INS Hansa is home to the Indian Navy's frontline Air Squadrons. These include INAS 300 ‘ White Tigers’ with the Sea Harrier fighters, INAS 310 ‘ Cobras’ with the Dornier-228, INAS 315 ‘ Winged Stallions’ with the Long Range Maritime Patrol IL-38SD, INAS 339 ‘ Falcons’ with the Airborne early warning Kamov-31 helicopter, INAS 551 ‘ Phantoms’ with the HJT-16 Kirans, INAS 552 ‘ Braves’ with the Sea Harrier trainers and ‘ Black Panthers’, with the latest induction, the MiG 29K. The naval base saw its first operational deployment during 'Operation Vijay' in 1961 which resulted in the successful liberation of Goa. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, the Sea Hawk and the Alize aircraft squadrons were entrusted with the Air-Defense of Bombay, Goa and Cochin. Its aircraft had also carried out an offensive sweep against Pakistani ships repo...

Defense Aviation Week & Space Technology Mar 01 , 2010 , p. 34 Neelam Mathews Goa, India Russian fighter takes on bigger role in India’s defense Printed headline: MiG-29K Rebound The Indian navy has inducted the first four of 16 Mikoyan MiG-29K multi-role naval fighters and is establishing shore-based training while it pushes Russia to speed up arrival of the aircraft carrier they were bought for. The fighters were purchased in 2004 as part of a $1.5-billion deal that included the Kiev-class Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier. Their Feb. 19 induction ceremony marked the first new aircraft in the navy’s inventory in two decades. Now that India is beginning to receive shipments of MiG-29K naval fighters, flying here with a Sea Harrier in the lead, it is building a shore test facility for them in Goa. Pix Credit: INDIAN NAVY The navy has a pending deal to boost its MiG -29K inventory to 45 with a follow-on order for 29 aircraft. As a result, the new jets have become so hi...