Goodbye Sea Harrier And Thank You For Serving The Indian Navy For 33 Long Years!

The Indian Navy bid adieu to its iconic Sea Harrier yesterday as it inducted the MiG 29K/Kub aircraft into the ranks. The British built fighters, which were inducted in 1983, were operated for the last time from INS Viraat on March 6, 2016.

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The aircraft was given a farewell in attendance of Admiral R.K. Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Western Naval Command and many retired Sea Harrier pilots.

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Sea Harriers were the first to have vertical take-off and landing capability that let them hover mid-air like a helicopter. They had an operational speed of 640 knots or 1,186 kilometres per hour and were also capable of air-to-air refuelling.

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The air-crafts flew into Goa for the first time on December 16, 1983. They were welcomed by a Seahawk pilot. The premier carrier based 300 squadron of the Navy that flew the Harriers has received gallantry awards such as Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakras and Nau Sena Medal for its commendable services.

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They were also spotted in a fighting sequence of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie ‘True Lies’.

It was due to huge maintenance cost and a lack of spares, that the navy decided to phase out the jets. They will now be dispatched as mementos at museums across the country and will be replaced by Russian MiG 29K jets.