The INAS 550 is an Indian naval air squadron based at

INS Venduruthy INS Venduruthy is an Indian Navy base located on Willingdon Island in Kochi, Kerala. It serves as the Headquarters of the Southern Naval Command. It is the largest training establishment of the Indian Navy. INS Garuda is a naval air station ...

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 ...

History

The oldest squadron of the Indian Navy, this was the unit where Naval Aviation was born, where it all began, and from where it grew and spread its wings to touch the skies. The Navy's first Fleet Requirement Unit (FRU), comprising two Sealands and manned by five pilots and two observers, was commissioned on 11 May 1953 at Venduruthy II, Kochi. Lt Cdr Y N Singh was the commissioning Squadron Commander. The FRU was recommissioned as INAS 550 on 15 June 1959 under the command of Lt Cdr Y N Singh. In February 1954, the squadron acquired two Firefly aircraft. The squadron had its first moment of glory on 21 April 1954 when six aircraft, in batches of two, escorted SS Gothic from Colombo to Aden with Her Highness, Queen Elizabeth on board. In October 1956, HT-2 aircraft were inducted and the squadron was split up into INAS 550 A (Naval Jet Flt) at

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and the INAS 550-B Flt at

. In 1976, the squadron was equipped with Islander aircraft and HPT-32 aircraft were inducted in January 1986. In October 1987, the squadron completed basic flying training on the HPT-32 for the first batch of 6 naval pilots. However, the practice was discontinued and the squadron ceased further basic flying training on the HPTs. In December 1987 also saw the squadron being tasked for sorties in support of the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka. Through the late 1980s and the nineties the squadron did extensive flying towards Observer training, maritime reconnaissance and patrol missions. In the late 1990s a few of the piston-engine Britton-Norman Islander (BN 2B) aircraft were upgraded to turbo-prop engines (BN 2T), and the squadron also acquired its first

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aircraft. The present day 550 continues to be a squadron that puts in extensive flying effort towards maritime reconnaissance, patrol and Observer training. On 16 March 2018, 2

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, locally termed Garud, were inducted into the squadron. The deliveries of 12 such aircraft were completed by 2019. As of 2024, the squadron provides Dornier Operational Flying Training to fixed wing pilots. The pilots are then further posted to operational squadrons equipped with Short Range Maritime Reconnaissance (SRMR) aircraft

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( INAS 310, 311,

313 __NOTOC__ Year 313 ( CCCXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus (or, less frequently, year 1066 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denom ...

314 __NOTOC__ Year 314 ( CCCXIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufius and Annianus (or, less frequently, year 1067 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 314 ...

318 Year 318 ( CCCXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Licinianus and Crispus (or, less frequently, year 1071 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 318 fo ...

) or Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft

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(

INAS 312 The INAS 312 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Rajali. History The Navy’s first long range Maritime Reconnaissance squadron was commissioned with five ex IAF Super Constellation aircraft on 18 November 1976. Cdr R D Dhir was the ...

316 __NOTOC__ Year 316 ( CCCXVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 1069 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 316 f ...

). The squadron shall also impart training to pilots of Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft

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planned to be inducted in future.

References

{{Indian Navy Aircraft squadrons of the Indian Navy Military units and formations established in 1959