Porbandar: The Indian Navy commissioned its sixth Dornier aircraft squadron in strategically located Porbandar town of Gujarat on Friday, giving a fillip to coastal security near the sea border with Pakistan. The Indian Naval Air Squadron 314, called Raptors, which will operate with four newly-inducted, next generation Dornier aircraft, was commissioned by Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice-Admiral M S Pawar.
"Commissioning of Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 314 marks yet another milestone in our efforts towards enhancing maritime security and our surveillance footprint in the North Arabian Sea," Pawar said, addressing a gathering on the occasion.
The squadron, owing to its strategic location, will act as the first responder in this crucial region, he said.
"It will be a privilege of the INAS 314 crew to fly these machines in this region and assiduously contribute towards security of the foremost frontier in our maritime context," he said. "Dorniers have been our surveillance workhorse for over three decades and torch bearers of our indigenisation efforts," the Vice-Admiral said.
The squadron will operate the Dorniers, a multi-role SRMR (Short Range Maritime Reconnaissance) aircraft with twin turboprop engine manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL) Kanpur, a Navy release said.
Contributing towards indigenous development and self- reliance through Make in India, the Navy is procuring 12 new Dornier aircraft from HAL with state-of-the-art sensors and equipment, including glass cockpit, advanced surveillance radar, optical sensors and networking features, it said.
The squadron is the first to accept and operate four of these newly inducted technology advanced next generation Dornier aircraft.