| INAS 344 | |
|---|---|
| Active | 11 April 2012 - present [1] |
| Country |  India |
| Branch |  Indian Navy |
| Role | Reconnaissance |
| Garrison/HQ | INS Parundu, Tamil Nadu [2] |
| Nickname(s) | The Spirited Shadowers |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Reconnaissance | IAI Heron [3] |
The INAS 344 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Parundu, Tamil Nadu. The squadron was established on 11 April 2012 and operates IAI Heron. [1] [4]
On 13 December 2013, one of the IAI Heron of INAS 344, bearing registration number INAS 922, crashed into the grove at Usilankattuvalasai after taking off from INS Parundu at 3:10 pm IST. After the aircraft crashed behind the naval station, the rotor blades broke into pieces, and "the engine part was found between palm and coconut trees". The remains were salvaged by 50 naval civilians. [5]
The IAI Heron (Machatz-1) is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Malat (UAV) division of Israel Aerospace Industries. It is capable of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) operations of up to 52 hours' duration at up to 10.5 km (35,000 ft). It has demonstrated 52 hours of continuous flight, but the effective operational maximal flight duration is less, according to payload and flight profile. An advanced version, the Heron TP, is also known as the IAI Eitan.
The Indian Naval Air Arm is the aviation branch and a fighting arm of the Indian Navy which is tasked to provide an aircraft carrier-based strike capability, fleet air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare.
Porbandar Airport is a public airport in Porbandar, Gujarat, India. Currently, civilian flights are not operational. Apart from civilian operations it also has a military presence in the form of INAS 343 of the Indian Navy and CGAE Porbandar of the Indian Coast Guard. A new terminal building was opened in April 2008. There are currently no scheduled passenger flights from the airport.
INS Rajali, is an Indian naval air station located near Arakkonam, Ranipet district, Tamil Nadu in southern India. It operates under the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, and has the longest military runway in Asia.
The IAI Searcher is a reconnaissance UAV developed in Israel in the 1980s. In the following decade, it replaced the IMI Mastiff and IAI Scout UAVs then in service with the Israeli Army.
The IAI Eitan is an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft developed in Israel in the early 21st century by the Malat division of Israel Aerospace Industries. The aircraft is a newer version of the IAI Heron. Along with intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTR), Israeli IAI Eitan also capable of holding armed roles. There are conflicting reports on whether the exported Eitan's are unarmed or armed.
Uchipuli or Uchippuli is a locality in the Mandapam block of Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major source of water supply for the Ramanathapuram town. An Indian Navy air station, INS Parundu, is located near Uchipuli.
INS Garuda, is an Indian naval air station located in Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Commissioned on 11 May 1953, it is the oldest operating air station of the Indian Navy.
INAS 343 is an aviation squadron of the Indian Navy, operating Drishti-10 Starliner UAVs based at Porbandar. It is the second squadron in the navy dedicated to operating UAVs after INAS 342 at Kochi. The squadron was raised in 2011 with 2 IAI Heron and IAI Searcher Mk-II each. The squadron is tasked with patrolling Northern Arabian Sea.
INAS 342 is an Indian Naval air squadron, operating unmanned aerial vehicles, based at INS Garuda, Kochi. The squadron was raised in 2006 and operates IAI Heron.
INS Hansa, is an Indian naval air station located near Dabolim in Goa, India. It is India's biggest naval airbase. The military air base has a civil enclave, that operates as Dabolim Airport.
INS Dega, is a naval air station of the Indian Navy. It is located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on the east coast of India.
INS Parundu is an Indian naval air station located near Uchipuli in the Ramanathapuram of the state of Tamil Nadu. It operates under the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. The air station will be opened up for civilian flights under Phase 2 of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of the Government of India also known as UDAN and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started preparatory work at the airstrip. It is sandwiched between Rameswaram National Highway Road and Railway track which leads towards Rameswaram.
The INAS 303 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Hansa.
The INAS 312 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Rajali.
The INAS 315 was an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Hansa, Goa.
The INAS 550 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Venduruthy, Kochi.
The INAS 551 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.
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