INAS 314 – “RAPTORS”

Ministry of Defence

 

WHAT

Indian Naval Air Squadron 314, the sixth Dornier aircraft squadron was commissioned on 29 Nov 2019. The Dornier aircraft, a multi-role SRMR aircraft, with twin turboprop engine is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL) Kanpur.

Commissioning of Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 314 marks another milestone towards enhancing maritime security and surveillance footprint in the North Arabian Sea.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• INAS 314 derives its name “Raptors” from the “Bird of Prey” family.
• The insignia of the squadron depicts a ‘Raptor bird’ searching over the vast blue expanse of the sea.
• ‘Raptors’ are large bird of prey known for excellent sensory capabilities, powerful and sharp talons and strong wings symbolising the capabilities of the aircraft and envisaged roles of the squadron.

 

FEATURES & SIGNIFICANCE

• The aircraft can be used for electronic warfare missions, maritime surveillance, search and rescue and to provide targeting data to weapon platforms.
• Dornier aircraft from HAL is fitted with state-of-the-art sensors and equipment including glass cockpit, advanced surveillance radar, ELINT, optical sensors and other networking features.

 

LIST OF INDIAN NAVAL AIR SQUADRONS

The Indian Navy currently operates twenty-two air squadrons. Of these, ten operate fixed-wing aircraft, eight are helicopter squadrons and the remaining three are equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

Squadron Name	Nickname	Aircraft
INAS 300	White Tigers	Hawker Sea Hawk BAE Sea Harrier Mikoyan MiG-29K
INAS 303	Black Panthers	Mikoyan MiG-29K
INAS 310	Cobrad	Breguet Alizé Br.1050 Dornier Do 228
INAS 311	Kites	Dornier Do 228
INAS 312	Albatross	Lockheed Super Constellation Tupolev TU-142M Boeing P-8I Poseidon
INAS 313	Sea Eagle	Dornier Do 228
INAS 314	Raptors	Dornier Do 228
INAS 315	Winged Stallions	Ilyushin Il-38
INAS 318	Hawks	Britten-Norman Islander Dornier Do 228
INAS 321	Angels	Alouette III/ HAL Chetak
INAS 322	Guardians	HAL Dhruv
INAS 330	Harpoons	Sea King 42B
INAS 333	Eagles	Kamov Ka-25 Kamov Ka-28
INAS 336	Flaming Arrows	Sea King 42B
INAS 339	Falcons	Sea King 42B Kamov Ka-28 Kamov Ka-31
INAS 342	Flying Sentinels	IAI Searcher Mk. II IAI Heron
INAS 343	Frontier Formidables	IAI Searcher Mk. II IAI Heron
INAS 344	Spirited Shadowers	IAI Searcher Mk. II IAI Heron
INAS 350	Harpoons	Sikorsky UH-3H
INAS 550	Flying Fish	Short Sealand Fairey Firefly HAL HT-2 Britten-Norman Islander HAL HPT-32 Dornier Do 228
INAS 551	Phantoms / Sagar Pawan	de Havilland Vampire Hawker Sea Hawk Kiran MK 1 Kiran MK 2 BAE Sea Harrier HAL HJT-16
INAS 552	Braves	BAE Sea Harrier
INAS 561	Rotors	Hughes S-300 Alouette III/ HAL Chetak

 

Source: PIB

 

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