Indian Naval Air Arm
The Indian Naval Air Arm, the aviation branch of the Indian Navy, grew from two Short Sealand amphibians commissioned at Kochi on 11 May 1953 into a force of two aircraft carriers, MiG-29K fighters, P-8I patrol aircraft and MH-60R helicopters, struck Pakistani shipping from INS Vikrant in 1971, and in 2025 ordered 26 Rafale Marine fighters to replace a MiG-29K fleet with a long record of accidents and poor serviceability.
The Indian Naval Air Arm story: two Sealands at Kochi, Sea Hawks over Chittagong and the Rafale M
1953–1961: two Sealands at Kochi and a carrier from Belfast
Indian naval flying began small and late. Wikipedia dates the air arm to 1948, but the first unit came five years later: on 11 May 1953 a Fleet Requirement Unit of two Short Sealand amphibians, five pilots and two observers was commissioned at Kochi under Lieutenant Commander Y. N. Singh, and the same day the air station there, later INS Garuda, was inaugurated. Two Fairey Fireflies followed in February 1954, and the unit was recommissioned as INAS 550 on 15 June 1959. Its job was unglamorous — towing targets for the fleet’s gunners and training observers — but it gave the navy a cadre of aviators before it had a carrier. The decisive purchase was the light fleet carrier Vikrant, the former HMS Hercules, commissioned at Belfast on 4 March 1961 with INAS 300 flying Hawker Sea Hawks and INAS 310 flying French Breguet Alizé anti-submarine aircraft.
1961–1971: Goa, the Sea Hawks and the Bay of Bengal
The carrier arrived just in time for a war it did not fight. In December 1961, during Operation Vijay, Vikrant and a contingent of 12 Sea Hawks enforced a blockade off Goa without seeing action, and in April 1962 the army handed the captured Portuguese airport at Dabolim to the navy; INS Hansa, commissioned at Sulur near Coimbatore on 5 September 1961, moved there and has been the arm’s main base ever since. In 1965 Vikrant was in dry dock and the air arm sat the war out. 1971 was different. From 4 December, Sea Hawks from Vikrant struck shipping and harbours at Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong, then Khulna and Mongla, as India blockaded East Pakistan. Wikipedia credits carrier aircraft with sinking the gunboat Comilla and damaging the Rajshahi; Indian accounts claim far more. One Alizé was shot down by a Pakistani aircraft. The Sea Hawk record was the air arm’s founding legend, but it was achieved against an opponent with almost no air cover in the east.
1971–1991: Soviet patrol aircraft and the Sea Harrier
After 1971 the arm turned to the open ocean and to the Soviet Union. Lockheed Super Constellations and Britten-Norman Islanders came in 1976, three Ilyushin Il-38s in 1977 and two more in 1983, and eight Tupolev Tu-142MK-E long-range patrol aircraft in 1988; Kamov helicopters went to sea on destroyers and frigates. The carrier side stayed British. India ordered six Sea Harrier FRS.51s and two trainers in November 1979, the first three landed at Dabolim on 16 December 1983 and the last Sea Hawks went the same year; in all 30 Harriers were bought, flying from Vikrant and later Viraat. The Sea King Mk.42 family — 12 Mk.42, three Mk.42A, 20 Mk.42B with Sea Eagle missiles from 1988 and six Mk.42C — did the anti-submarine work. The costs showed in the accident record: Wikipedia counts 17 Sea Harrier crashes that killed seven pilots, which by 2009 had cut the fleet to 12.
1991–2016: new air stations, Vikramaditya and the MiG-29K
The 1990s gave the arm new air stations rather than new aircraft. INS Dega at Visakhapatnam was commissioned on 21 October 1991, INS Rajali at Arakkonam, with what Wikipedia calls the longest military runway in Asia, on 11 March 1992; the Alizé was retired in 1991 and the first Vikrant in January 1997. The next carrier was a rebuilt Soviet one. India ordered 12 MiG-29K and four MiG-29KUB fighters with the ex-Gorshkov in January 2004 and 29 more in January 2010; the type entered service in February 2010, and INS Vikramaditya was commissioned at Severodvinsk on 16 November 2013. The MiG-29K brought supersonic speed and a modern radar to the fleet, but not reliability: the Comptroller and Auditor General reported serviceability of 37.63 per cent in 2016, and 62 per cent of its engines withdrawn for design defects. The Sea Harrier flew from Viraat for the last time on 6 March 2016 and was formally retired at INS Hansa on 11 May 2016.
2016–2026: P-8I, MH-60R, two carriers and the Rafale M
The last decade has been about patrol aircraft and helicopters. The first Boeing P-8I reached Rajali on 15 May 2013 under a 2009 contract for eight; four more followed, flown by INAS 316 at Goa from 29 March 2022, and the Tu-142 retired on 29 March 2017, the Il-38 on 31 October 2023. MH-60R Seahawks, the first two handed over in July 2021, formed INAS 334 at Kochi on 6 March 2024 and INAS 335 at Goa on 17 December 2025. The home-built carrier Vikrant was commissioned on 2 September 2022, and on 28 April 2025 India signed for 26 Rafale Marine fighters, 22 single-seat and four two-seat, for both carriers. In the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan the government says the navy deployed its carrier battle group with MiG-29Ks and airborne early warning helicopters; no naval air combat was reported by either side.
What works, what does not, and what is still missing
The strengths are real: two carriers, a patrol force built around the P-8I, and a growing Seahawk fleet with a support deal signed in November 2025. The weaknesses are just as clear. The MiG-29K has a poor serviceability history and has lost at least five aircraft in accidents since 2018, according to Wikipedia; the Rafale M will not be complete before 2030, and sources disagree on when the first will even arrive. The Sea King Mk.42B left service in June 2026 with its successors still being delivered, the Kamov Ka-31 follow-on order was suspended in 2022, and the large utility and multi-role helicopter programmes are still plans. Even the arm’s size is uncertain: its own encyclopedia page gives 23 squadrons and about 300 aircraft, the parent navy’s page 21 squadrons. Official naval sites could not be reached for this page, so several counts here rest on Wikipedia and are marked as such.
The Indian Naval Air Arm in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Indian Naval Air ArmNo official Hindi name for the air arm was found: the Hindi pages of All India Radio name only the navy (Bharatiya Nau Sena) and its squadrons. The Indian Navy’s own bilingual site could not be reached
- Founded
- 11 May 1953The first Fleet Requirement Unit and the air station at Kochi were commissioned that day. Wikipedia’s infobox gives 1948 as the founding year of the air arm
- Part of
- Indian NavyNaval aviation is a branch of the navy, not a separate service
- Head of naval aviation
- Rear Adm. Ajay D. TheophilusFlag Officer Naval Aviation per Wikipedia; appointment date not confirmed
- Chief of the Naval Staff
- Adm. Krishna Swaminathan27th CNS, took over at the end of May 2026
- Main air base
- INS Hansa, GoaThe largest naval air station, sharing its runway with Dabolim civil airport
Strength
- Personnel
- About 5,000Wikipedia infobox figure; not confirmed officially
- Squadrons
- 21–2323 in the air arm’s Wikipedia infobox; 21 (10 fixed-wing, eight helicopter, three UAV) on the Indian Navy page. The difference may reflect new squadrons and retirements between edits
- Fighters
-
- MiG-29K/KUB — 45 bought, number in service not published
At least five lost in accidents between 2018 and 2022, according to Wikipedia. 26 Rafale M on order
- Maritime patrol
-
- P-8I — 12
- Dornier 228 — about 27
- MQ-9B SeaGuardian — 2 leased
Figures from Wikipedia; six more P-8Is received approval in principle on 12 February 2026
- Helicopters
-
- MH-60R — 21 received by June 2026 (24 ordered)
- Ka-31 — 14
- Ka-28 — number not published
- Sea King Mk.42C — 6 built
- Dhruv — 24
- Chetak — number not published
The Sea King Mk.42B left service in June 2026, per Wikipedia
- Trainers
-
- BAE Hawk 132
- HAL Kiran
Numbers not confirmed. Hawks fly with INAS 551 at Visakhapatnam
- Total aircraft
- About 300Wikipedia infobox figure, including UAVs
Infrastructure
- Naval air stations
-
- INS Hansa (Goa)
- INS Garuda (Kochi)
- INS Rajali (Arakkonam)
- INS Dega (Visakhapatnam)
- INS Utkrosh (Port Blair)
- INS Shikra (Mumbai, helicopters)
- INS Parundu (Uchipuli, UAVs)
- INS Baaz (Great Nicobar)
- INS Kohassa (North Andaman)
Several share runways with civil airports: Dabolim, Kochi’s old airport, Visakhapatnam and Port Blair
- Aircraft carriers
-
- INS Vikramaditya — commissioned 16 November 2013
- INS Vikrant — commissioned 2 September 2022
The first Vikrant served from 1961 to 1997; Viraat flew Sea Harriers until 2016
- Longest runway
- 4,103 m at INS RajaliWikipedia calls it the longest military runway in Asia
- Southernmost station
- INS Baaz, Campbell BayCommissioned 31 July 2012, overlooking the Six Degree Channel
- Carrier deck trainer
- Shore Based Test Facility, GoaA ski-jump and arrested landing mock-up at INS Hansa for MiG-29K and naval Tejas trials
- Museum
- Naval Aviation Museum, GoaOpened 12 October 1998 at Bogmalo; 13 aircraft on display
How the Indian Naval Air Arm is organised
A branch of the Indian Navy under a Flag Officer Naval Aviation, with 21 to 23 squadrons by Wikipedia’s counts and about 300 aircraft including drones. Its striking power is the MiG-29K of INAS 300 and 303 at Goa, flown from the carriers Vikramaditya and Vikrant; 26 Rafale Marine fighters ordered in April 2025 are to be delivered by 2030. Twelve P-8Is, a growing MH-60R fleet, Dornier 228s, Kamov and Dhruv helicopters and Heron drones make up the rest.
Indian Naval Air Arm
A branch of the Indian Navy, not a separate service, run from Naval Headquarters in New Delhi. Wikipedia names Rear Adm. Ajay D. Theophilus as Flag Officer Naval Aviation; his appointment date was not confirmed on an official page. The air arm answers to the Chief of the Naval Staff, Adm. Krishna Swaminathan, the 27th, who took over at the end of May 2026 from Adm. Dinesh K. Tripathi.
INAS 300 and INAS 303
The carrier fighter squadrons, flying the MiG-29K and KUB from Vikramaditya and Vikrant; 45 were bought in 2004 and 2010, the number in service is not published, and Wikipedia lists five Indian Navy crashes from January 2018 to October 2022. INAS 300 was commissioned with Sea Hawks for the first Vikrant in 1961 and flew Sea Harriers from 1983 to 2016. 26 Rafale Marine fighters ordered on 28 April 2025 are to be delivered by 2030.
INAS 312 and INAS 316
Twelve Boeing P-8Is: INAS 312 at INS Rajali, where the first arrived on 15 May 2013 and where the squadron flew Tu-142s until 2017, and INAS 316, commissioned at Goa on 29 March 2022. About 27 Dornier 228s, per Wikipedia, fly with INAS 310, 311, 313, 314 and 318 from Goa, Visakhapatnam, Port Blair and other stations; six more P-8Is were approved in principle on 12 February 2026.
INAS 334 and INAS 335
The MH-60R Seahawk squadrons, 21 of 24 helicopters received by June 2026 according to Wikipedia: INAS 334, the first, commissioned at INS Garuda, Kochi, on 6 March 2024, and INAS 335 Ospreys at INS Hansa, Goa, on 17 December 2025. The Sea King Mk.42B left service in June 2026, leaving six Mk.42Cs.
Kamov, Dhruv and Chetak squadrons
INAS 339 flies the Ka-31 early warning helicopter, 14 bought, from Goa and the carriers; INAS 333 the Ka-28 at Visakhapatnam; INAS 321 the Chetak; and INAS 322 to 325 the HAL Dhruv, 24 per Wikipedia. A naval Dhruv ditched off Mumbai on 8 March 2023, grounding the whole Indian Dhruv fleet.
INAS 342 and INAS 344
IAI Heron drones, around eight Mk1s as of 2016 according to Wikipedia, at Kochi and at INS Parundu, which watches the Palk Strait; the Searcher Mk II was withdrawn in December 2024. Two MQ-9B SeaGuardians are leased, and 15 of the 31 MQ-9Bs contracted on 15 October 2024 are for the navy, according to Wikipedia.
INAS 550 and INAS 551
INAS 550, the navy’s first flying unit, commissioned at Kochi on 11 May 1953 with two Short Sealands, now gives Dornier operational flying training beside the Observer School and other aviation schools at INS Garuda. INAS 551 trains fighter pilots on the BAE Hawk 132 at INS Dega before they move to the MiG-29K.
What the Indian Naval Air Arm flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan MiG-29K and MiG-29KUBIn service | Carrier-borne multirole fighter | 2010 | 45 bought: 12 MiG-29K and four KUB ordered in January 2004 with Vikramaditya, and 29 more in January 2010 (US$1.2 billion).
MoreWikipedia lists five Indian Navy crashes from January 2018 to October 2022; the number in service is not published. |
|||
| Boeing P-8I NeptuneIn service | Long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare | 12 | 2013 | Eight under the January 2009 contract (US$2.1 billion) and four under the 27 July 2016 contract. | ||
| Dornier/HAL 228In service | Maritime reconnaissance and training | 27 | About 27 per Wikipedia; not confirmed officially. Eight upgraded aircraft are on order, per Wikipedia. | |||
| BAE Systems Hawk Mk 132In service | Advanced jet trainer | |||||
| HAL HJT-16 KiranIn service | Jet trainer | |||||
| Sikorsky MH-60R SeahawkIn service | Multi-role naval helicopter | 21 | 2021 | 21 received by June 2026, 15 of them operational, per Wikipedia; 24 ordered (the Seahawk article gives 26 cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security on 19 February 2020). | ||
| Kamov Ka-31In service | Airborne early warning helicopter | 14 | 2003 | Four ordered in 1999, five in 2001 and five in 2009. | ||
| Kamov Ka-28In service | Anti-submarine helicopter | |||||
| Westland Sea King Mk.42CIn service | Utility and search and rescue helicopter | 6 | Six built; Wikipedia says they were procured in 1987. | |||
| HAL Dhruv (ALH)In service | Utility and search and rescue helicopter | 24 | 24 per Wikipedia. | |||
| HAL Chetak (Alouette III)In service | Light utility and search and rescue helicopter | |||||
| IAI HeronIn service | Medium-altitude long-endurance UAV | 8 | 2002 | Around eight Heron Mk1 as of 2016, from 12 bought in 2002, per Wikipedia; a current figure was not found. | ||
| General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian (leased)In service | Long-endurance maritime surveillance UAV | 2 | Two on lease, per Wikipedia. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dassault Rafale MOn order | 26 | 22 single-seat and four two-seat, signed on 28 April 2025 by Rajnath Singh and Sebastien Lecornu after clearance in April 2025 and Defence Acquisition Council approval on 13 July 2023; includes training, a simulator, weapons and performance-based logistics, and deliveries are to be completed by 2030.
MoreSources disagree on the first delivery: Wikipedia’s air arm page gives August–September 2026, its Vikrant page "from 2030". No delivery had been confirmed in the sources checked by late September 2026. For Vikramaditya and Vikrant. |
||
| Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk (remaining)On order | 3 | 2021 | 21 of 24 had been received by June 2026, per Wikipedia, with the rest due by the end of 2026. | |
| General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardianOn order | 15 | 2029 | The navy’s share of 31 MQ-9Bs contracted on 15 October 2024, according to Wikipedia, which gives deliveries from January 2029. The broadcaster’s report gives only the total. | |
| Boeing P-8I Neptune (third batch)On order | 6 | Acceptance of necessity on 12 February 2026; six aircraft and an expected cost of about US$3 billion per Wikipedia. Not yet a contract. | ||
| Airbus C-295 (maritime reconnaissance)On order | 9 | Listed as on order by Wikipedia; contract date not confirmed. | ||
| Dornier/HAL 228 (upgraded)On order | 8 | Listed as on order by Wikipedia; contract date not confirmed. |
Every type the Indian Naval Air Arm has retired
16 types, from the Short SA.6 Sealand to the Westland Sea King Mk.42, Mk.42A and Mk.42B. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westland Sea King Mk.42, Mk.42A and Mk.42B | Anti-submarine and anti-ship helicopter | 35 | 1971–2026 | MH-60R | 12 Mk.42, three Mk.42A and 20 Mk.42B (delivered 1988–1992). | |
| IAI Searcher Mk II | Tactical UAV | 8 | 2002–2024 | Eight de-inducted, per Wikipedia. | ||
| Ilyushin Il-38 and Il-38SD | Maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft | 7 | 1977–2023 | P-8I and Dornier 228 | Three in 1977, two in 1983 and two ex-Russian aircraft delivered as Il-38SD in 2009 and 2010; two were lost in the 2002 collision. | |
| Tupolev Tu-142MK-E | Long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft | 8 | 1988–2017 | P-8I | Eight delivered March–October 1988. | |
| British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.51 and T.60 | Carrier V/STOL fighter | 30 | 1983–2016 | MiG-29K | 30 procured: 25 single-seat and five trainers (six FRS.51 and two T.60 ordered in November 1979, ten more in November 1985, and later additions). | |
| Breguet Br.1050 Alizé | Carrier anti-submarine aircraft | 1961–1991 | ||||
| Hawker Sea Hawk FGA.6, Mk 100 and Mk 101 | Carrier fighter-bomber | 1960–1983 | Sea Harrier | About 66: 24 new and 12 refurbished ex-Fleet Air Arm aircraft ordered in 1959, then 30 rebuilt from West German stocks. | ||
| Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation | Maritime reconnaissance | 1976–1983 | ||||
| Short SA.6 Sealand | Utility amphibian | 2 | 1953– | Two formed the first unit. | ||
| Fairey Firefly TT.1 | Target tug | 2 | 1954– | Two acquired in February 1954; later additions not confirmed. | ||
| de Havilland Vampire T.55 | Jet trainer | |||||
| Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander | Light transport and observer trainer | 1976– | Dornier 228 | |||
| Kamov Ka-25 | Shipborne anti-submarine helicopter | Ka-28 | ||||
| Hughes 300 | Training helicopter | |||||
| de Havilland Devon C.1 | Communications aircraft | |||||
| HAL HT-2 | Primary trainer |
Where the Indian Naval Air Arm flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the airfields that have closed. INS Hansa at Goa, the Portuguese-built Dabolim airport handed to the navy in April 1962, is the largest naval air station and the home of the carrier fighters; INS Garuda at Kochi, where the first unit was commissioned on 11 May 1953, is the oldest. Several stations share runways with civil airports, and INS Baaz on Great Nicobar is the southernmost air station of the Indian armed forces. Sulur, an Indian Air Force station, was the first home of INS Hansa in 1961.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS BaazAndaman and Nicobar Islands (Great Nicobar) | VOBX | Active | ?1,310 m | |
| INS DegaAndhra Pradesh | VOVZ | Active | 05/231,829 m10/283,050 m |
|
| INS GarudaKerala | VOCC | Active | 13/311,414 m17/351,817 m |
|
| INS HansaGoa | VOGO | Active | 08/263,458 m |
|
| INS KohassaAndaman and Nicobar Islands (North Andaman) | VODX | Active | ?1,006 m | |
| INS ParunduTamil Nadu (Ramanathapuram district) | VORM | Active | ?920 m |
|
| INS RajaliTamil Nadu (Ranipet district) | VOAR | Active | 06/244,103 masphalt concrete |
|
| INS ShikraMaharashtra (Mumbai) | Active |
|
||
| INS UtkroshAndaman and Nicobar Islands | VOPB | Active | 04/223,290 m |
|
| Sulur Air Force StationTamil Nadu (Coimbatore district) | VOSX | Active | 05/232,516 m |
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Indian Naval Air Arm
Flying units by base, current units first. Indian naval squadrons are Indian Naval Air Squadrons (INAS): the oldest, INAS 550, began as a Fleet Requirement Unit of two Sealands at Kochi in 1953, and INAS 300 has flown Sea Hawks, Sea Harriers and MiG-29Ks since 1961. Many unit-to-base entries rest on Wikipedia alone, because the navy’s own website could not be reached, and the entries say so.
- INAS 300White Tigers · Carrier fighter squadron · active
- MiG-29K, Sea Harrier FRS.51 (1983–2016), Sea Hawk (1961–1983)
- INAS 303Black Panthers · Carrier fighter squadron · active
- MiG-29K/KUB
- INAS 316Condors · Maritime patrol squadron · active
- Boeing P-8I
- INAS 335Ospreys · Multi-role helicopter squadron · active
- MH-60R Seahawk
- INAS 339Falcons · Airborne early warning helicopter squadron · active
- Kamov Ka-31
- INAS 310Cobras · Maritime reconnaissance squadron · active
- Dornier 228
- INAS 550Fixed-wing training and reconnaissance squadron · active
- Dornier 228
- INAS 334Multi-role helicopter squadron · active
- MH-60R Seahawk
- INAS 342UAV squadron · active
- IAI Heron
- INAS 336
- Westland Sea King Mk.42B
- INAS 312Long-range maritime patrol squadron · active
- Boeing P-8I
- INAS 551Jet training squadron · active
- BAE Hawk 132
- INAS 333Anti-submarine helicopter squadron · active
- Kamov Ka-28
- INAS 318Maritime reconnaissance squadron · active
- Dornier 228
- INAS 325Utility helicopter squadron · active
- HAL Dhruv Mk.III MR
- INAS 330Helicopter squadron · active
- Westland Sea King
- INAS 344UAV squadron · active
- IAI Heron
No unit matches that search.
Indian Naval Air Arm milestones, 1914 to today
11 May: the Fleet Requirement Unit (two Sealands) and the naval air station at Kochi, later INS Garuda, are commissioned.
15 June: the Fleet Requirement Unit becomes INAS 550.
4 March: Vikrant is commissioned at Belfast with INAS 300 (Sea Hawks) and INAS 310 (Alizés). 5 September: INS Hansa is commissioned at Sulur. December: Vikrant and 12 Sea Hawks blockade Goa.
April: the captured Dabolim airport in Goa is handed to the navy and becomes the home of INS Hansa.
4 December onwards: Sea Hawks from Vikrant strike Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Khulna and Mongla.
Super Constellations and, at INAS 550, Islanders enter service; three Il-38s follow in 1977.
16 December: the first three Sea Harriers land at Dabolim; the Sea Hawk is retired.
March–October: eight Tu-142MK-Es are delivered; the Sea King Mk.42B begins arriving.
The Alizé is retired. 21 October: INS Dega is commissioned at Visakhapatnam.
11 March: INS Rajali is commissioned at Arakkonam.
1 October: two Il-38s collide over Dabolim; all 12 crew are killed.
February: the MiG-29K enters service; 29 more are ordered in January.
15 May: the first P-8I reaches INS Rajali. 16 November: INS Vikramaditya is commissioned.
11 May: the Sea Harrier is retired at INS Hansa.
29 March: the Tu-142 is retired.
29 March: INAS 316 forms with P-8Is at Goa. 2 September: the home-built Vikrant is commissioned.
6 March: INAS 334 forms with MH-60Rs at Kochi. December: the Searcher UAV is withdrawn.
28 April: 26 Rafale M ordered. May: carrier battle group deployed in Operation Sindoor. 17 December: INAS 335 forms at Goa.
Every war the Indian Naval Air Arm has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- Operation Vijay 1961 Vikrant and its Sea Hawks enforced a maritime blockade and stood ready to deter foreign naval intervention
- Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 1971 Carrier strikes on ports, shipping and airfields in East Pakistan as part of the naval blockade; anti-submarine patrols
- Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka 1987–1990 Support of the Indian Peace Keeping Force; the details of naval air operations were not confirmed in the sources checked
- Operation Cactus 1988 Maritime search for the ship Progress Light, seized by the fleeing mercenaries
- Operation Sindoor 2025 Carrier battle group deployment with MiG-29K fighters and airborne early warning helicopters for surveillance and fleet air defence, according to the Indian government
The Indian Naval Air Arm display team
Each team has its own page: history, aircraft, the display, the accidents and the sources.
Everything people ask about the Indian Naval Air Arm
What is the Indian Naval Air Arm called in Hindi?
What aircraft does the Indian Navy fly in 2026?
When will the Indian Navy get the Rafale M?
Why has the MiG-29K been criticised?
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What did naval aviation do in Operation Sindoor in May 2025?
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Read the aircraft the Indian Naval Air Arm flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- All India Radio News: India signs deal with France to procure 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft (28 April 2025)Signed by Rajnath Singh and Sebastien Lecornu; 22 single-seat and 4 twin-seat; deliveries completed by 2030; for Vikramaditya and Vikrant.
- All India Radio News: India to Procure 26 Rafale Marine Jets for Navy (9 April 2025)Government clearance of 26 Rafale Marine (22 single, 4 twin seat).
- All India Radio News: Defence Acquisition Council approves procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft from France (13 July 2023)Headline and date seen on the broadcaster’s search page.
- All India Radio News: Indian Navy commissions second MH-60R helicopter squadron INAS 335 at INS Hansa, Goa (17 December 2025)INAS 335 Ospreys commissioned by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
- All India Radio News: Indian Navy commissions second MH 60R helicopter squadron INAS 335 in Goa (17 December 2025)Roles; Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan present as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
- All India Radio News: India signs 7,900 crore rupee deal with US for MH-60R Navy helicopter support (28 November 2025)Headline and date seen on the broadcaster’s search page.
- All India Radio News: Admiral Krishna Swaminathan assumes charge as 27th Chief of the Naval Staff (31 May 2026)Headline and date seen on the broadcaster’s search page; appointment announced 9 May 2026.
- All India Radio News: India-US deal for procurement of 31 MQ-9B Predator drones (15 October 2024)31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian for the three services; maintenance contract with General Atomics Global India.
- All India Radio News: DAC clears proposals of nearly 3.60 lakh crore to enhance capabilities of Armed Forces (12 February 2026)Navy items include P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft (no number given).
- All India Radio News: Operation Sindoor showcases India’s tri-service precision and synergy (18 May 2025)The Navy deployed its Carrier Battle Group with MiG-29K fighters and airborne early warning helicopters.
- All India Radio News: Indian Navy forced Pakistan Navy to remain confined to its ports during Operation Sindoor: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (31 May 2026)Headline and date seen on the broadcaster’s search page; the Defence Minister’s claim.
- Akashvani (Hindi): INAS 335 MH-60R squadron to join INS Hansa (17 December 2025)Checked for a Hindi name of the air arm: the article uses only the navy’s name and the squadron designation.
- All India Radio News: Year of Reforms 2025 sees India strengthen defence capabilities (29 December 2025)Rafale-M among acquisitions of 2025.
- MiGFlug Order of Battle: Indian Air Force dataset (verified 30 September 2026)Internal consistency check: the IAF page’s Operation Sindoor entry, loss claims and Sulur base row.
- MiGFlug Order of Battle: Indian Air Force stations dataset, Sulur rowExisting row for Sulur Air Force Station (VOSX, 11.01361 N 77.15972 E, 380 m, runway 05/23 2,516 m) reused without a page.
- Airports Authority of India: eAIP IndiaThe AIP index loads only as a frame shell in the tools available (noted by the Indian Air Force stations research); no AD 2 data could be read, so coordinates here are from Wikipedia infoboxes.
Figures verified 2026-10-01. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
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