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New
Delhi, 14 July 2005
Sea
Harrier VTOL aircraft landing on the Carrier's deck
During
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to USA
there was a report that Indian Navy pilots would
receive training from the US Navy. This is good news
because Indian Navy pilots are Top Guns and those
that fly off the Carrier are the "crème de la
crème". They can gain a lot from US Carrier
training and the IAF already has pilots being
trained in USA and UK.
CNS
Admiral Arun Prakash now 60, is a very able Sea
Harrier pilot himself who has commissioned and
commanded the Harrier squadron and INS Viraat.
Interestingly he flew with the Indian Air Force
Hunter squadron in the 1971 war as an exchange pilot
and was awarded a Vir Chakra. He is soft spoken and
does not publicise this ever, but at the IAF Pilots
Passing out parade held last month at Hyderabad he
did speak about his days in training with the IAF
and his Hunter war experience. He called himself a
half IAF officer and that is one reason why we
believe that he is a very good choice for CDS ––
he is the senior most Chief in the chair but that is
another story. We are unable to predict when a CDS
will be appointed. The cadets at the POP were amazed
at the exposure and experience of the Navy Chief in
white uniform and applauded his achievement
with awe. The Indian Navy now has the big challenge
to commission the Gorshkov with MiG 29Ks and that
will be quite a task and achievement when
accomplished, under the next Chief of Naval Staff in
2008. Professionals are watching worldwide including
the IAF in India.
The
IN is gearing up for the arrival of INS Vikramaditya
(Gorshkov) and it will need more pilots and very
professional fighter pilots. No MiG 29K has landed
on the deck of a 40,000 ton ship but it has
landed on the Kuzenetsov a 67,000 ton ship and
amazingly Russia cannot afford the carriers in their
Navy anymore. The market for experienced pilots for
the expanding civil airlines in India is exploding
and attracting service pilots, so one can expect
attrition.
On
7 July, the Indian Navy commissioned a new squadron
INAS 552, at INS Hansa Goa, under the command of Cdr
Shailender Singh for ab initio Sea Harrier training.
HE Shri SC Jamir, the Governor of Goa commissioned
the Squadron in the presence of Rear Admiral SK
Sinha, Flag Officer Naval Aviation. This is the
Navy’s fourteenth air squadron to be commissioned.
The IN received some refurbished trainers from UK as
the production of the models has stopped. The Royal
Navy is set to dispose off the old Harriers and
ultimately they will get the JSF 36 the Carrier
version of the JSF 35 in 2012, when their carrier is
commissioned. If the IN can commission Gorshkov
in good fettle and the MiG 29s operate with elan and
safety, the Indian Navy will be ahead of the RN
in sea attack capability.
The Sea Harrier is presently the IN’s carrier based
fighter aircraft capable of both maritime strike and
air defence missions. It is an unconventional
fighter aircraft capable of vertical/short take off
and landing (VTOL). The complexity of the aircraft
design demands intensive flying training ashore
called MADLs in the squadron to simulate deck
landings prior to undertaking flying and tactical
missions from the deck of an aircraft carrier, which
is likened to a floating postage stamp size landing
strip. In the earlier days, the Royal Air Force in
United Kingdom carried out Harrier conversion of
pilots.
To attain self-sufficiency in the field of fighter
training, the Indian Navy decided to conduct
training of Sea Harrier pilots in India. Thus, Sea
Harrier Operational Flying Training (SHOFTU) was
formed as a part of INAS 300 on 16 April 1990. In
1991, SHOFTU was conjoined as a separate flight into
the existing Kiran Training Squadron INAS 551.
Post commissioning, Indian
Naval Air Squadron 552 will operate as an
independent training unit to undertake the arduous
task of training young pilots and converting them
into professional carrier borne fighter pilots. The
squadron forms the bedrock of future naval fighter
training and the squadron will need more superior
advanced jet trainers and the US Goshawk is a
good choice for MiG 29K as the Hawk 115 Y of the IAF
may not be able to meet the needs.
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