The INAS 330 is an Indian naval air squadron based at

INS Shikra INS Shikra, formerly known as INS Kunjali, is an Indian naval air station located at Colaba in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a heliport. History INS Kunjali was commissioned as a new establishment in Mumbai, post-Independence. The locale chosen ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

History

Among the most potent weapon platforms in the Naval inventory is the

Westland Sea King The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome eng ...

helicopter. This versatile and advanced multi role aircraft has taken modern age maritime warfare to theatres well beyond the nation’s shores. INAS 330 was commissioned on 17 April 1971 under the command of Cdr M P Wadhawan. The squadron was initially equipped with Westland Sea King Mk 42 ASW helicopters acquired from British Westland Helicopters Ltd. On 26 July 1971, the first Sea King landed on . From then on the indomitable team of Harpoons and ‘Mother’ (the carrier) saw a series of firsts. The first operational ASW mission was flown on 18 October 1971. On 31 November 1971, while on an ‘Advance Screen’, a Sea King picked up a suspected submarine contact and carried out a Vectored attack for the first time. The Harpoons received their baptism with fire when hostilities broke out in 1971. Extensive ASW operations were undertaken and the Harpoons clocked over 156 hours of war effort. Over the decade the Harpoons continued to operate from INS Vikrant as the only front line carrier borne rotary wing squadron and earned the honour and reputation of being the most versatile and baleful of the whirly birds. The squadron got greater punch with the procurement of Sea King 42B which have an improved sensor fit and capability for Anti-Shipping strikes. The squadron shifted to

from

INS Garuda INS Garuda , is an Indian naval air station located in Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Commissioned on 11 May 1953, it is the oldest operating air station of the Indian Navy. The air station is adjacent to INS Venduruthy and the headquarters of ...

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

in October 1995 and has been based there ever since. As always the Harpoons continue to remain the eyes and ears of the fleet. Aptly named the flying frigate, the Sea Kings continue to act as force multipliers while operating from

INS Viraat INS ''Viraat'' (Sanskrit: Virāṭa meaning ''Giant'') was a Centaur-class light aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. INS ''Viraat'' was the flagship of the Indian Navy until was commissioned in 2013. The ship was completed and commissioned i ...

, Godavari class frigates and Brahmaputra class frigates. The ship borne flights continue to execute multifarious missions in all weather – by day and night.

References

{{Indian Navy Aircraft squadrons of the Indian Navy Military units and formations established in 1971