INS Hansa

INS Hansa, (IATA: N/A, ICAO: VOGO) is an Indian naval air station located near Dabolim in Goa, India.[1] It is India's biggest naval airbase.[2] The military air base has a civil enclave, that operates as Dabolim Airport.

INS Hansa
Indian Navy's MiG-29Ks parked at INS Hansa
Summary
Airport typeNaval Air Station
OperatorIndian Navy
LocationDabolim, Goa, India
Elevation AMSL184 ft / 56 m
Coordinates15°22′51″N 073°49′53″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
08/26 11,345 3,458 Asphalt

History

INS Hansa was commissioned on 5 September 1961 at Sulur near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It was initially co-located with the Sulur Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force. It was then home to INAS 551 squadron, operating de Havilland Vampire aircraft, as well as training establishments for Hawker Sea Hawk and Breguet Alizé aircraft.[3] After the annexation of Goa in December 1961, INS Hansa was transferred to Dabolim. In 1983, the Indian Navy began inducting the BAE Sea Harrier into service, basing training activities at Dabolim until the Harriers were retired in 2016.[4] Now the base houses MiG-29KUBs, the tandem two-seat operational trainer variant of the carrier based MIG-29Ks. The aircraft has been inducted into the Navy with a complement of 12 MiG 29Ks that have been purchased with the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (re-fitted and refurbished Admiral Gorshkov of the Russian Navy).

Besides the operation of the MiGs, the Navy also operates Kamov Ka-28 anti submarine helicopters, along with Ilyushin Il-38 May and TU-142M Bear aircraft. Dabolim airbase also hosts exercises by the Indian Air Force's fighter bombers and it has facilities for the Indian Coast Guard which operates a fleet of small aircraft such as Dornier-228s. The Indian Navy also carries out long range maritime patrols as far as the Horn of Africa from Dabolim.

The Navy has an aerobatic team, based at Dabolim, called the Sagar Pawan. The team comprises three Kiran aircraft which carry out aerobatic displays at various locations in the country. The team is used in one or two annual public events in Goa for flypasts of 15 to 20 minutes duration. The Navy also operates a naval aviation museum near Dabolim Airport.

The Indian Navy's Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF), which is a mock-up of the 283-metre (928 ft) INS Vikramaditya deck built on the airfield at Hansa is used to train and certify navy pilots of the Mikoyan MiG-29K for operating from the aircraft carrier, and for the developmental trials of the naval HAL Tejas.[5][6][7] This SBTF was designed by Nevskoye Design Bureau (NDB) of Russia for Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).

Units

Over 2000 naval personnel and 1000 civilians are employed at INS Hansa. It is home to 8 Indian Naval Air Squadrons (INAS).

Among the units based here are:[8]

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See also
Indian navy
Integrated commands and units
Other lists

References
  1. Airport information for VAGO at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
  2. "INS Hansa will retain its importance: Navy". The Economic Times. 3 September 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  3. "Naval Air Stations". Indian Navy. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  4. "Indian Navy to bid adieu to Sea Harriers on May 11 in Goa". The Economic Times. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. "Arrester gear of Shore Based Test Facility for Naval LCA passes test". Frontier India. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. "India's shore-based test facility for carrier borne aircraft operationalised". Goa Shipyard. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  7. "Maiden Flight of Light Combat Aircraft-Navy (NP1)". PIB. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  8. "INS Hansa Air Squadrons". Indian Navy. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
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