Indian Navy

INS Airavat is the third Shardul-class amphibious warfare vessel of the Indian Navy . INS Airavat was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata at Yard 3016. She began sea trials in July 2008 after completing basin trials in May. She was commissioned at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on 19 May 2009, by the Chief of Naval Staff , Admiral Suresh Mehta. She is named for the mount of god Indra, the elephant Airavata, as mentioned in the Rigveda. Safety features aboard the Airavat include an anti-roll flume stabilization system, smoke curtains to impede spreading of smoke and toxic gases in case of fire, as well as battle damage control systems. Fully loaded, she can operate independently at high seas for up to 45 days. While primarily designed for amphibious assault operations, Airavat's missions also include humanitarian assistance & disaster relief (HADR) during natural disasters, including tsunamis, cyclones and earthquakes. She has a fully fu

INS Garuda is an Indian naval air station located in Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Commissioned on 11 May 1953, it is the oldest operating air station of the Indian Navy . The air station is adjacent to INS Venduruthy and the headquarters of Southern Naval Command . INS Garuda is a major naval air training center as well as an operational base. The original airstrip near Kochi was built by the Cochin Port Trust to transport senior officials of the British Harbour Corps from the Madras Presidency for supervising the development of modern Kochi port in 1936. During World War II , the rudimentary airstrip was taken over by the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) in 1941 and expanded to establish an RAF experimental station. The Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve (IAFVR) No. 5 Coastal Defence Flight, flying Westland Wapiti II aircraft was based at the station in May 1941. In December 1942, IAFVR No. 5 was disbanded, and resources transferred to HMS Garuda in Peelamedu, Tamil Nadu. In 1943, the