INS Utkrosh , is an Indian
naval air station
A Naval Air Station (NAS) is a military air base, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of a navy (Naval aviation). These bases are typically populated by squadron ...
under the joint-services
Andaman and Nicobar Command
The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is a integrated tri-services command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India. It was created in 2001 to safeguard India's strategic in ...
of the
Indian Armed Forces
The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...
. It is located near
naval base
A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...
INS Jarawa
INS Jarawa is a naval base of the Indian Armed Forces under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command located in Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It was commissioned in 1964.
INS Utkrosh is an adjacent naval air sta ...
on
Port Blair
Port Blair (), officially named Sri Vijaya Puram, is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headqu ...
, the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
It shares airside facilities with
Veer Savarkar International Airport which handles civilian traffic.
History
The airfield at
Port Blair
Port Blair (), officially named Sri Vijaya Puram, is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headqu ...
was transferred from the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation to the Indian Navy on 9 March 1984.
It was initially commissioned as ''INS Jarawa II''.
On 11 May 1985, the air station was formally commissioned as ''INS Utkrosh'' by then
Defence Minister of India
The Minister of Defence (ISO: ''Rakṣā Maṁtrī'') is the head of the Ministry of Defence and a high ranking minister of the Government of India. The Defence minister is one of the most senior offices in the Union Council of Ministers as we ...
,
P. V. Narasimha Rao
Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian independence activist, lawyer, and statesman from the Indian National Congress who served as the prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He was the first p ...
, making it the first naval air station in the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India comprising 572 islands, of which only 38 are inhabited. The islands are grouped into two main clusters: the northern Andaman Islands and the southern Nicobar Islands, separated by a ...
.
The first Commanding Officer of the Station was Cdr SS Kahlon. Its location makes it an important strategic station for protecting India's maritime interests in the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region.
Many South Asian and Southe ...
. It also serves as an important facility for undertaking humanitarian operations, such as disaster relief and evacuation of medical emergencies from the remote islands.
The facilities at ''INS Utkrosh'' have been significantly upgraded. The runway has been lengthened to almost .
Except for the civilian terminal operated by the
Airports Authority of India
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India), Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civi ...
, all other air traffic operations over Port Blair are undertaken by INS Utkrosh.
The geography makes this a difficult airfield for aircraft, as a hillock at one end means that planes can land or take off only in one direction. Winds change here every six months, so pilots have to either take off or land with strong tail winds.
[
]
Units
Naval Air Squadrons based at ''INS Utkrosh'' include:
* INAS 318
The INAS 318 is an Indian Navy, Indian naval air squadron based at INS Utkrosh, Port Blair.
History
INAS 318 was commissioned on 10 March 1984. Lt Cdr J S Dhillon was the first Squadron Commander. The squadron was initially equipped with Islan ...
, a reconnaissance
In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
squadron operating Dornier 228
The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, designed and first manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) from 1981 until 1998. 245 were built in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics ...
aircraft
* INAS 321, operating HAL Chetak
HAL may refer to:
Aviation
* Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia
* Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL)
* HAL Airport, Bengaluru, India
* Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of figh ...
helicopters[
* a ]Training
Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...
squadron operating Pipistrel Alpha Trainer
The Pipistrel Alpha Trainer is a Slovenian two-seat, single-engine light-sport aircraft intended specifically for flight training, designed and produced by Pipistrel in Gorizia, Italy.
The Alpha was announced at the end of 2011 and production s ...
aircraft
INAS 325, an ALH helicopter squadron
See also
; Indian Navy
* List of Indian Navy bases
The Indian Navy currently operates three commands — Western Naval Command located at Mumbai, Southern Naval Command located at Kochi and Eastern Naval Command located at Visakhapatnam. The Andaman and Nicobar Command, a unified Indian Navy, ...
* List of active Indian Navy ships
The Indian Navy (IN), which is the naval warfare branch of the Indian Armed Forces, has approximately 135+ warships on active commission.
By forethought, the IN's Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP) for the period 2012–2027 had set ...
; Integrated commands and units
* Armed Forces Special Operations Division
The Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD) is an integrated tri-services division of the Indian Armed Forces. The division is tasked to carry out special operations. The AFSOD draws personnel from all three special warfare branches ...
* Defence Cyber Agency
The Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA) is an integrated tri-services agency of the Indian Armed Forces. Headquartered in New Delhi, the agency is tasked with handling cyber security threats. The DCyA draws personnel from all three branches of the Arme ...
* Integrated Defence Staff
The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) is an organisation responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces. It is composed of representatives from the Indian Army, Indian Navy ...
* Integrated Space Cell
The Integrated Space Cell was the nodal agency within the Government of India with oversight of the security of its space based military and civilian hardware systems. It was to be jointly operated by all the three services of the Indian Armed Fo ...
* Indian Nuclear Command Authority
* Indian Armed Forces
The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...
* Special Forces of India
; Other lists
* Strategic Forces Command
The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), sometimes called Strategic Nuclear Command, forms part of India's Nuclear Command Authority (NCA). It is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear we ...
* List of Indian Air Force stations
The Indian Air Force currently operates seven Air Commands. Each command is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the rank of Air Marshal.
The Air Force currently has over 60 air stations all over India. These are grouped into seven ...
* List of Indian Navy bases
The Indian Navy currently operates three commands — Western Naval Command located at Mumbai, Southern Naval Command located at Kochi and Eastern Naval Command located at Visakhapatnam. The Andaman and Nicobar Command, a unified Indian Navy, ...
* India's overseas military bases
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:INS Utkrosh
Utkrosh
Buildings and structures in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands