INS ''Dega'' , is a naval air station of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

. It is located in

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...

on the east coast of India.

History

The Indian Navy initially started aviation operations in Visakhapatnam in the late 1970s, with the construction of four helipads adjacent to the civil airfield. The civilian Visakhapatnam Airport was transferred to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 1981. The air station was then called Naval Air Station, Visakhapatnam. Additional hangars, maintenance facilities and an operations complex were constructed soon after. On 21 October 1991, the air station was renamed and formally commissioned as INS ''Dega'' by then Vice Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas. It is named for the

Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language f ...

word for a big and powerful bird of the eagle family.

Units

Indian naval air squadrons based at INS ''Dega'' include: * INAS 551, a fighter training squadron BAE Hawk AJT aircraft *

INAS 311 The INAS 311 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of R ...

, a reconnaissance 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. Two hundred and forty-five were built in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. In ...

aircraft * INAS 321, a

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

squadron operating HAL Chetak helicopters *

INAS 333 The INAS 333 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam . History INAS 333 was commissioned at Goa on 11 December 1980 by V Adm O P Dawson. The squadron crest depicts an Eagle gripping a torpedo in its talons against a ...

, an

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typi ...

squadron operating Kamov Ka-28 helicopters * INAS 350, a logistics and transport squadron operating Sikorsky UH-3 Sea King helicopters * a UAV squadron, operating DRDO Lakshya pilotless targeting UAVs * The BAE Systems Hawk advanced jet trainer was inducted on 6 November 2013 by then Chief of Naval Staff (India), Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi As of 2014 preparations have begun to deploy and permanently base a full squadron of

Mikoyan MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the ...

fighters to strengthen the security of India's eastern seaboard. In order to decrease the growing flight traffic in the base, a new base has been under consideration by the navy at Badangi, near Vizayanagaram The plan for the expansion of the airbase envisages a massive increase in size as well as capabilities. In the final scenario, from the present size of 1100 acres, the INS Dega will be spread out to over 1500 acres. A parallel taxi track at the base is also in the offing which will cut down the runway occupancy time.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:INS Dega Dega Dega Airports in Andhra Pradesh Economy of Visakhapatnam Buildings and structures in Visakhapatnam Transport in Visakhapatnam 1970s establishments in Andhra Pradesh

History

Units

See also

References