Indian Navy

The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates significantly in the Persian Gulf Region, the Horn of Africa, the Strait of Malacca, and routinely conducts anti-piracy operations with other navies in the region. It also conducts routine two to three month-long deployments in the South and East China seas as well as in the western Mediterranean sea simultaneously.

Indian Navy
भारतीय नौसेना
Indian Navy Insignia (2022).svg
Emblem of the Indian Navy
Founded26 January 1950; 75 years ago (26 January 1950)
Country India
TypeNavy
RoleNaval warfare, force projection, sealift, nuclear deterrence
Size64,000 active personnel[1]
50,000 reserve personnel[2]
(250 ships including auxiliaries)
Approx. 300 aircraft
Part of India Armed Forces
HeadquartersNausena Bhawan, Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi
Motto(s)Shaṁ No Varunaḥ (ISO)
transl. 'May the Lord of Water be auspicious to us' (Taken from Taittiriya Upanishad)[3]
Navy blue, gold and white
     
March
  • Quick: Jai Bharati
    (Victory to India)
  • Slow: Anand Lok
    (Realm of Joy)
AnniversariesNavy Day: 4 December
Operational fleet
Engagements
WebsiteOfficial website
Commanders
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)Admiral ensign of Indian Navy.svg Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi
Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS)Vice Admiral ensign of Indian Navy.svg Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan
Navy Master Chief Petty OfficerDilbahadur Chhetri, MCERA I
Notable
commanders
Insignia
EnsignNaval Ensign of India.svg
National FlagFlag of India.svg
PennantCommissioning pennant of India.svg
President's ColourPresident's Colour of Indian Navy.svg
Aircraft flown
FighterMikoyan MiG-29K, Dassault Rafale-M
HelicopterDhruv, Ka-28, Ka-31, Sea King Mk.42C, UH-3 Sea King, Chetak, Sikorsky MH-60R
Utility helicopterDhruv
PatrolBoeing P-8 Poseidon, Dornier 228, Britten-Norman BN-2
ReconnaissanceIAI Heron, IAI Searcher Mk II, General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian
TrainerBAE Hawk, HAL HJT-16, Pipistrel Virus, MiG-29KUB

The primary objective of the navy is to safeguard the nation's maritime borders, and in conjunction with other Armed Forces of the union, act to deter or defeat any threats or aggression against the territory, people or maritime interests of India, both in war and peace. Through joint exercises, goodwill visits and humanitarian missions, including disaster relief, the Indian Navy promotes bilateral relations between nations. Since October 2008, the Indian Navy keeps at least one frontline warship on continuous deployment in the Gulf of Aden.

Aircraft carriers

INS Viraat

The Navy has two aircraft carriers in active service, one of which is the INS Vikramaditya, which serves as the flagship of the fleet. Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier procured at a total cost $2.3 billion from Russia in December 2013. A second aircraft carrier, the indigenously built INS Vikrant was commissioned on 2 September 2022. The Navy has an amphibious transport dock of the Austin class, renamed as INS Jalashwa in Indian service. It also maintains a fleet of landing ship tanks.[4]

Indian Navy Media

References

  1. "Strength of Defence Forces". Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  2. The International Institute of Strategic Studies (14 February 2017). The Military Balance 2017. Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Incorporated. ISBN 9781857439007.
  3. A. Mahadev, Shastri (1901). Taittiriya Upanishad. Mysore.
  4. Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan. 2000. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5.