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Indian Naval Air Squadron INAS 303 Black Panthers

Commissioning the Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 303, the first MiG 29K squadron of the Indian Navy at INS Hansa in Goa on 11 May 13, Shri AK Antony, the Defence Minister, said he was confident that the Squadron will make a significant contribution in enhancing peace and stability in our area of operations. It would also provide effective safeguards for unhindered economic development of the nation and other friendly nations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), he said. The Squadron will very soon operate from INS Vikramaditya. Sri AK Antony also emphasised the importance of India maintaining an edge over its adversaries in defence preparedness which is better served through acquisition of new technology and better training of the personnel, given the fact that the security scenario in the region is changing at a rapid pace.

Since inception, Naval Aviation has steadily grown from strength to strength into a potent combat Arm. Beginning with the amphibian Sealand, the Navy's Fleet Air Arm today encompasses modern carrier borne fighters, state-of-the-art long range maritime recce aircraft, airborne early warning and multi-role helicopters capable of anti-submarine and anti-ship operations. Today, we stand poised on the threshold of a yet another new chapter that will justifiably make any Navy proud.

The MiG-29K, in a way represents the future of the fleet air arm’s combat capabilities. The induction of the aircraft is expected to be a force multiplier for the fleet. The commissioning of the squadron assumes special significance since 60 years ago, the Navy’s aviation arm came into being on this very day. Induction of new and critical capabilities such as MiG 29Ks, is through allocation of significant national resources, sometimes at the cost of other, equally vital and competing priorities. It is therefore the duty of all personnel, in this case, the crew of INAS 303, to ensure that these capabilities are optimally maintained and operated to serve their intended purpose.

In the tradition of naming its fighter squadrons in the 300 series, the MiG- 29K squadron, is christened INAS 303 and is being popularly referred to as the ‘Black Panthers’. The number 303 has been derived from the revolutionary .303 rifle cartridge, which in the mid-19th century replaced the traditional lever-action cartridges with pointed-tip bullets, giving it a ballistic advantage over its counterparts. This path breaking technology enabled the bullet to travel at much higher speeds, more accurately and inflict much more damage than its predecessors, thus creating a new standard on which the future guns of the world were built. Drawing similarity to the above mentioned attributes of the rifle the number 303 has been chosen to represent the MiG 29K squadron. Just like the rifle revolutionized the concepts of rifle firing, the induction of the Black Panther squadron marks the beginning of a new era of fighter flying in the Indian navy and hence the squadron is also referred to as "the game changers". The squadron’s insignia depicts the rare Black Panther, rampant on sea waves, against an azure background.

The Defence Minister also inaugurated a state of the art full mission simulator. Equivalent to a Cat D flight simulator, this enables pilot training across the full range of aircraft capabilities including carrier take off and carrier landings, combat missions and even air to air refuelling. This simulator will serve as a force multplier for the aircrew. After flying a 25- minute sortie Shri Antony was impressed with the immersive realism of the simulator.