Special Cover: INS Hansa Golden Jubilee (1961 - 2011)

Date of Issue: September 05, 2011

The Goa and Maharashtra Circle of India Post issued a Special Cover to commemorate 50 golden years of service to the nation by INS Hansa - India's Premier Naval Air Station, now located near Dabolim, in Goa.

INS Hansa was commissioned on September 05, 1961 at Sulur, near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It was initially co-located with the Sulur Air Force Base of the Indian Air Force. It was initially home to INAS 551 squadron, operating de Havilland Vampire aircraft, as well as training establishments for Hawker Sea Hawk and Breguet Alizé aircraft.

After the liberation of Goa from Portuguese occupation, Dabolim airfield was transferred to the Indian Navy. INS Hansa was then moved to Dabolim on June 18, 1964.

Over 2000 naval personnel and 1000 civilians are employed at INS Hansa. It is home to 8 Indian Naval Air Squadrons (INAS).

Among the units based here are:

INAS 300, operating BAe Sea Harrier fighter aircraft
INAS 303, operating Mikoyan MiG-29K fighters
INAS 310,operating Dornier Do 228 aircraft in electronic warfare roles
INAS 315, operating the Il-38 anti-submarine warfare aircraft
INAS 321, operating HAL Chetak helicopters for search and rescue
INAS 551, operating HAL HJT-16 Kiran jet trainers
INAS 552, operating Harrier T-60 trainers

The Crest of INS Hansa depicts Hamsa (from Sanskrit हंस haṃsa) is an aquatic bird, often considered to be a goose or sometimes a swan. The cachet design shows various air crafts of the Indian Navy.

Click here to read more interesting information about INS Hansa.

Text Source: Wikipedia