INS Shikra
| INS Shikra आईएनएस शिकरा | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: none | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Naval Air Station | ||
| Operator | Indian Navy | ||
| Location | Mumbai, India | ||
| Built | 1972 | ||
| Helipads | |||
| Number | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| H1 | 300 | 91 | Asphalt |
INS Shikra, formerly known as INS Kunjali, is an Indian naval air station located at Colaba in Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra.[1] This is the only Indian naval air station without a full-fledged runway to operate fixed-wing aircraft. INS Shikra is primarily a heliport. Visiting fixed wing naval aircraft use the city's Mumbai International Airport or the Juhu Aerodrome.
History
With the acquisition of Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters in 1963, the Indian Navy needed a suitable site for a helipad in the Mumbai area, close to the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The location chosen for the establishment was the old gun carriage basin on the sea front in Colaba in the heart of south Mumbai. The area was used during the World War II as a depot for munitions of war and as a boat repair facility.
The naval air station at Colaba was commissioned as INS Kunjali on 3 April 1972. As helicopters came to be deployed on major surface vessels, the helipad was expanded and used as a base for helicopters disembarked from Indian naval vessels while they were at their base in Mumbai.
The air station was renamed and commissioned as INS Shikra on 22 January 2009.
Units
Naval Air Squadrons based at INS Shikra include:
- INAS 321, a search and rescue and logistics squadron, operating HAL Chetak helicopters
- INAS 330, an anti-submarine warfare squadron, operating Westland Sea King Mk.42B helicopters
It also has a major helicopter maintenance depot.
References
- ↑ "Naval Air Stations". Indian Navy. Retrieved 2011-08-18.