INAS 310

INAS 310
INAS 310 Insignia
Active	21 March 1961 - present[1]
Country	India
Branch	Indian Navy
Garrison/HQ	INS Hansa
Nickname(s)	The Cobras
Aircraft flown
Electronic warfare	Dornier Do 228[2]

The INAS 310 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Hansa.^[3]

History

INAS 310 was commissioned on 21 March 1961 at Hyeres, St Raphel by the Indian Ambassador to France, His Excellency Nawab Ali Yawar Jung. Cdr M K Roy was the first Squadron Commander of the squadron. In April 1961, the first deck landing was carried out on INS Vikrant, off Yeovilton, in Alize 203. In the same month the Cobras participated in their first tactical exercise with INS Betwa and INS Beas, which were sailing to India from the UK. The squadron embarked INS Vikrant on 18 August 1961 to sail back to India via the Suez Canal. The squadron was initially based at INS Garuda, Kochi and saw operational action on 18–20 December 1961 and during Operation Vijay for the liberation of Goa. The squadron was subsequently shifted to INS Hansa, Goa in April 1970.

The squadron was once again in the thick of action during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Alizes launched from INS Vikrant carried out strikes over East Pakistan. On the nights of 5 and 6 December 1971, the Navy’s first ever night strike was carried out by Alizes on ships and installations off the, then, East Pakistan coast.

The squadron was an integral part of the Navy’s carrier borne operations throughout the seventies and eighties and celebrated the 5000 deck landing mark in 1983. On 10 May 1987, after twenty-six years of dedicated service, Alizes finally disembarked INS Vikrant for the last time. However, they remained effective and saw extensive flying during Operation Cactus off Male and Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. Finally, the Alize were bid adieu at the last flypast for the Chief of Naval Staff on 12 April 1991.

On 26 August 91, the squadron received its first Dornier 228 aircraft in Goa. IN 221 was ferried from HAL, Kanpur by Cdr Khankhoje. IN 221 was followed by four more Dorniers over the next one year. The squadron was re-christened as the ‘Information Warfare Squadron’ on 1 October 1998 following the fitment of an ESM suite. The squadron has been the very hub of the Navy’s information warfare effort ever since, and has several operational firsts to its credit. The squadron continues to live up to its credo of being the ‘first in - last out’. And whenever and wherever there is an operational commitment - the Cobras are always there

References

1. "The Golden Cobras". Vayu Aerospace. June 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
2. "Indian Navy's Information Warfare squadron base INAS-310 'COBRA' celebrated its golden jubilee". Frontier India. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
3. "INAS 310 – The Cobras". Indian Navy. Retrieved 25 December 2014.