INS Dega | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Naval Air Station | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Indian Navy | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Visakhapatnam, India | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 15 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 17°43′16″N083°13′28″E / 17.72111°N 83.22444°E | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  VOVZ  VOVZ | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Source: DAFIF | |||||||||||||||
INS Dega( ICAO : VOVZ), is a naval air station of the Indian Navy. It is located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on the east coast of India. [1] [2]
The Indian Navy started aviation operations in Visakhapatnam in when the 321 Helicopter Flight was based at INS Circars in Visakhapatnam on 23 December 1972. In 1976, four helipads along with hangars were set up adjacent to the civil airfield. On 12 March 1986, the civilian Visakhapatnam Airport was transferred from the National Airport Authority of India (now, Airports Authority of India) to the Indian Navy. The air station was then designated as Naval Air Station, Visakhapatnam. The 321 Chetak Flight was initially based in the Air Base along with other shipborne flights. 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 word for a big and powerful bird of the eagle family. [3] [4]
As of 2014, INS Dega had 5 squadrons/flights and 4 ship-borne flights. [3] As of 2015, the airbase housed 40 aircraft including naval helicopters. [5]
Indian naval air squadrons based at INS Dega include:
As of 2014, reports emerged that preparations have begun to deploy and permanently base a full squadron of 17 Mikoyan MiG-29K fighters to strengthen the security of India's eastern seaboard. [6] [7] In order to decrease the growing flight traffic in the base, a new base has been under consideration by the navy at Badangi, near Vizianagaram. [8] [9]
In July 2014, the MoD an initial sanction of ₹ 450 crore (equivalent to ₹719 croreorUS$86 million in 2023) was invested for building related technical support and infrastructure facilities. 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 1,100 acres (4.5 km2), the INS Dega will be spread out to over 1,500 acres (6.1 km2). A parallel taxiway at the base is also in the offing which will cut down the runway occupancy time. [7]
On 2 June 2010, a HAL Chetak with four personnel crashed into Sarada River after clipping high tension wires. [10] Fishermen were the first responders who helped remove the pilots seat belt and rescued the injured. One officer died while three were injured. [11]
On February 16, 2012, an unmanned UAV IAI Searcher crashed into a hill near Himachal Nagar,Gajuwaka while returning from operations. Navy officials landed from choppers to retrieve the Black box. [12]
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.
Badangi is a village in Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Badangi mandal.
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.
The Army Aviation Corps (AAC) is the youngest arm of the Indian Army, being formally designated on 1 November 1986. The Army Aviation Corps units are designated as Squadrons. Each squadron generally consists of two Flights. Reconnaissance (Recce) and Observation flights might be part of squadrons or operate independently. The latter do not have a parent squadron and are designated by an (I) in their name.
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.
INS Shikra, formerly known as INS Kunjali, is an Indian naval air station located at Colaba in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a heliport.
Sulur Air Force Station is an air base of the Indian Air Force located at Sulur near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and is India's second largest air base after Hindon AFS. It is the base which is responsible for protection of India's sea area. It is the only base in India which handles both fighter and transport flights at one location; no other base in India is equipped to do so. It is also the only IAF base in India to have all Departments at one location: fighters, carrier planes, carrier helicopters, attack helicopters, a repair and overhauling depot, TETTRA school, Garud Force, Air Force Hospital, Southern Command Sub Headquarters, & ECHS. It is a former Royal Navy and Indian Navy base.
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 Utkrosh, is an Indian naval air station under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command of the Indian Armed Forces. It is located near naval base INS Jarawa on Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
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.
Visakhapatnam Airport is a customs airport in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It also operates as a civil enclave on the Indian Navy airbase, INS Dega. It lies between the city localities of NAD X Road and Gajuwaka. The airport covers an area of 350 acres. The airport has experienced significant growth since the beginning of the 21st century, with the construction of a new terminal and runway and the commencing of international flights.
The INAS 311 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.
The INAS 321 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Shikra, Mumbai.
The INAS 322 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Garuda, Kochi.
The INAS 333 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.
The INAS 350 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.
The INAS 551 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.
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