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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 (FONA) at Goa appears to direct the field operations of the air arm. FONA also serves as the Navy's Flag Officer Goa Area (FOGA). ==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,〔(''Bharat-Rakshak.com'' – Indian Navy Timeline – "11 May 1953: First Naval Air Station, INS Garuda, inaugurated at Cochin. No.550 Squadron (consisting of Sealand and Firefly aircraft) commissioned" )〕 utilising Short Sealand aircraft.〔(''Naval Aviation Museum, Dabolim, Goa, India'' – http://www.warbirdsofindia.com )〕 and Fairey Firefly aircraft〔(''Naval Aviation Museum, Dabolim, Goa, India'' – http://www.warbirdsofindia.com )〕 1960 saw the No.300 White Tigers Squadron,〔(''Bharat-Rakshak.com'' – Indian Navy Timeline – "1960: No.300 White Tigers Squadron (consisting of Sea Hawk aircraft) commissioned." )〕 consisting of Sea Hawks〔(''Naval Aviation Museum, Dabolim, Goa, India'' – http://www.warbirdsofindia.com )〕 aircraft being commissioned. In the very next year (1961), INS ''Vikrant'' (formerly HMS ''Hercules'') was acquired by the Indian Navy. The ''Vikrants 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 (later Admiral) R H 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-Pakistan war in 1971, she was decommissioned in January 1997 and turned into a museum ship.〔(''INS Vikrant – the naval museum'' ) Posted by Nita〕 In 1976, the Indian Air Force handed over Super Constellation〔(''Naval Aviation Museum, Dabolim, Goa, India'' – http://www.warbirdsofindia.com )〕 aircraft to the No.312 Albatross Squadron〔(''Bharat-Rakshak.com'' – Indian Navy Timeline – "1976: No.312 Albatross Squadron (consisting of Super Constellation aircraft) commissioned." )〕 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 Being fairly old aircraft at that point, these were withdrawn from active service by 1983.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.〔(''Bharat-Rakshak.com'' – Indian Navy Timeline – "01 October 1977: No.315 Winged Stallions Squadron (consisting of IL-38 aircraft) commissioned." )〕 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.〔(Aircraft Carriers: The World's Greatest Naval Vessels and Their Aircraft ) By Richard Jones, Chris Bishop, Chris Chant, Christopher Chant〕 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 (Pakistan) 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. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Indian Naval Air Arm」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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