RANK

The Commander of the Navy is the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS). While the provision for the rank of Admiral of the Fleet exists, it is primarily intended for major wartime use and honour. No officer of the Indian Navy has yet been conferred this rank. (Both the Army and Air Forcehave had officers who have been conferred with the equivalent rank – Field Marshals Sam Manekshaw and Cariappa of the Army andMarshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) Arjan Singh.) As of 2010 the Indian Navy has 58,350 personnel on active duty (including 7,000 Naval Aviation, 2,000 Marine commandos),^[83][84] and 1,000 Sagar Prahari Bal soldiers.^[85]

Rank Insignia

Shoulder

Sleeve

Rank

Admiral of the Fleet

Admiral

Vice Admiral

Rear Admiral

Commodore

Captain

Commander

Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant

Sublieutenant

Midshipman

Naval Air Arm[edit]

 

A MiG-29K landing on INS Vikramaditya

The naval air-arm is an important component of the Indian Navy. The air arm consists of MiG-29Ks and the Sea Harrier jets that operate from the aircraft carriers INS Viraat and INS Vikramaditya. The Kamov-31 also operates from the aircraft carriers and provide the airborne early warning cover for the fleet. In the anti-submarine role the Sea King, Ka-28 and the domestic built HAL Dhruv are used. TheMARCOS also use Sea King and HAL Dhruv helicopters while conducting operations. Maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations are carried out by the Boeing P-8 Poseidon, the Tupolev 142 and the Ilyushin 38. The UAV arm consists of the IAI Heron and Searcher-IIs that are operated from both surface ships and shore establishments for surveillance missions.

The Indian Navy also maintains a four-aircraft aerobatic display team, the Sagar Pawan. The Sagar Pawan team will be replacing their present Kiran HJT-16 aircraft with the newly developed HJT-36 aircraft.^[86]

The southernmost naval air station, INS Bazz was formally opened on 31 July 2012 by the Indian Navy Chief at Cambell Bay in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. With the commissioning of this station, the country acquired increased capability to keep vigil on the vital maritime channel of the Straits of Malacca.^[87]

MARCOS[edit]

 

HAL Dhruv helicopter of the Indian Navy extracting Marine CommandosMARCOS on Navy day 2013 at Kochi..

The Marine Commando Force (MCF), also known as MARCOS, is a special forces unit that was raised by the Indian Navy in 1987 fordirect action, special reconnaissance, amphibious warfare and counter-terrorism. In 1988, the MARCOS successfully rescued several hostages, including Maldives' then-Minister of Tourism, aboard a ship hijacked by PLOTE mercenaries during Operation Cactus. The MARCOS are typically deployed to prevent infiltration through the Jhelum River and Wular Lake and are also involved in covert counter-terrorism operations in and around lakes and rivers in Jammu and Kashmir.^[88][89]

During the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the MARCOS were also involved in the rescue mission of hostages captured by the terrorists in Taj Mahal Palace & Tower luxury hotel in Mumbai as part of a large terrorist attack in Mumbai metropolis in November 2008.^[90]