The Sea-Harriers are gone, leaving some of us – serving and retired naval officers – deeply nostalgic.
For years, these brawny yet elegant jet-fighters symbolised the might of the Indian navy’s aviation arm; for no sight was as “majestic” as the ‘White Tigers’ coming into land, settling into a prolonged hover over the landing deck of the mighty carrier and settling in with the grace of an eagle.
- The Indian Navy first inducted 30 of the British-origin Sea Harriers for carrier borne operations in 1983.
- A Vertical and/or Short Take Off and Landing (V/STOL) aircraft, the Harrier was a replacement for the old Sea Hawks.
- Nicknamed the ‘White Tigers’, the Sea Harriers soon became an integral part of Indian naval fleet operations.
- During Operations Vijay and Parakram, the White Tigers provided essential offensive posture to the country.
- On 11 May, in a ceremony at INS Hansa, the Harriers will be de-inducted from the Indian Navy and their replacement is the superlative MiG-29Ks.
In 1994, as a young Sub Lieutenant on the INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier, I was treated to many close and personal Harrier landings.
Many of us youngsters, who stood duty on the bridge, were so enamoured of these aircraft, that we coordinated our bridge watches with Harrier exercises.
Watching a Harrier getting airborne was a bit like watching a runner taking-off the starting block in the finals of a sprint competition. Like an athlete getting ready for his last sprint, the Harrier (and its pilot) was a picture of intense concentration preceding a demanding performance, with the engine slowly revving up into high revolutions.
As the wheel blocks were removed and the flight deck controller signalled ‘take-off’, the aircraft broke into a huge roar and lurched off the deck like a speeding locomotive. Aided by the ski-jump, 400 feet and a few seconds is all it took the Harrier to get airborne.
The landing, I have to admit, was more impressive.
Most of us who were lucky enough to be on the bridge of the carrier during landing operations, scrambled to the aft-FLYCO adjoining the command post to catch a glimpse of the “hovering Harrier”. It was astonishing for some of us to see a fighter jet transformed into a virtual helicopter as it made its final approach.
The pilot positioned himself over a pre-designated spot over the landing deck continuing to hover for a good many seconds before gradually descending to settle gracefully in position.
Needless to say, many a sub-lieutenant on aircraft carriers opted for the aviation cadre on completion of his first appointment. Most eventually didn’t get to fly the ‘White Tigers’, so gruelling and demanding was the selection process.
It was in 1983 that the Indian Navy first inducted 30 of the British-origin Sea Harriers for carrier borne operations.
A Vertical and/or Short Take Off and Landing (V/STOL) aircraft, the Harrier was a replacement for the old Sea Hawks, then the mainstay Indian naval aviation operations.
The British Navy’s aircraft carrier operations against Argentina in the Falkland Island’ in 182 had provided an opportunity to assess the Sea Harrier performance in combat.
Unlike the Hawks, the Harriers had an onboard radar (the Blue Fox) and could undertake combat missions independently. What the Indian navy’s senior brass was particularly taken with, however, was the aircraft’s exceptional versatility in multiple combat roles: air reconnaissance, air-to-air combat, surface / land-attack and interdiction of enemy MR aircraft.
It is the last function that became the Sea Harriers’ calling card in the days that followed.
As late Vice Admiral GM Hiranandani (Retd) recounts in his 2004 book, Transition to Eminence, the Indian navy’s tactical problem at the time of the Harrier’s induction was that it did not have the ability to deal with a hostile maritime reconnaissance aircraft armed with anti-ship missiles.
The Harriers’ prowess at getting airborne right quickly and prosecuting an enemy MR aircraft just before it targeted the fleet with ship borne missile, came to be seen as its crucial attribute.
The first three Sea Harriers, led by Lt Cdr Arun Prakash (later Admiral and Chief of the Naval Staff) landed at Dabolim, Goa on 16 December 1983.
Their first deck landing on INS Vikrant took place on 20 December 1983, and the first Sea Harrier T Mk 60 trainer arrived on 29 March 1984. Inducted as part of INAS 300 (Indian naval air squadron 300) nicknamed the ‘White Tigers’, the Sea Harriers’ soon became an integral part of Indian naval fleet operations.
In the following years, these aircraft took part in joint exercises, combat training drills, coordinated ops and complex interdiction exercises. During Operations Vijay and Parakram, the White Tigers are said to have provided the essential offensive posture to the country and ensured readiness to react to any escalation by the enemy.
A “limited upgrade” in 2009 saw the Sea Harriers being fitted with Israeli Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire control radars and ‘Derby’ beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, but the improvements weren’t ever seen as being entirely successful.
Unfortunately by then, old age had begun to take a toll over the aircraft, even as a lack of spares and cannibalisation added to the Indian navy’s woes in keeping the fighters operational. With a high attrition rate in 2000s, it was clear the White Tigers’ best days were behind them.
On 11 May, in a ceremony at INS Hansa, the Harriers will be de-inducted from the Indian navy.
Their replacement is the superlative MiG-29Ks - the mainstay of carrier operations from the INS Vikramaditya, India’s latest and only operational aircraft carrier.
The ‘Black Panthers’ have been widely hailed as an apt replacement for their aging and ailing predecessors and will doubtlessly come wield the mantle of the fleets’ air defence with great aplomb.
Still, there is, in the hearts of many veterans, a sorrow that comes with the passing of a familiar legend. No doubt, there will be many modern carrier-launched aircraft to grace the aviation arm of the Indian Navy. But none will ever be as awe-inspiringly “spectacular” as the Sea Harrier!
(Abhijit Singh is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation where he heads the Maritime Security Initiative. A retired naval officer, he is a keen commentator on maritime matters. He can be reached at @abhijit227)
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