ABSTRACT
On 16 December 1983, to the spontaneons and emotional applause of a distinguished gathering, the Indian Naval Air Squadron 300 accepted three Sea Harriers on behalf of the Indian Navy. The following year, the service began sea trials aboard the INS Vikrant, uiitil recently its flagship and sole aircraft carrier. This was perceived as a significant development for the Indian N a vy and the naval balance in the Indian subcontinent, largely because of the new operational capabilities claimed and the large financial outlays involved. Furthermore, it underscared the salience of the Navy's expansion program and the determination with which it was being pursued. 1 Confirmatian of this can also be gleaned from the fact that the INS Vikrant has been complemented by the ex-HMS Hermes, renamed INS Virat, and several press reports have indicated that the Navy bad initiated preliminary discussions towards acquiring a third carrier, possibly of the Invincible class.2 Both the present carriers are expected to undergo extensive modernization and sensor refits over their operationallives, and since the Indian N a vy purposefully plans to enter the twenty-first century with additional indigenously built aircraft carriers, i t seems an opportune moment to assess the efficacy of the Sea Harrier acquisitions and to examine w hether they will indeed measure up to the roles envisioned by its operators.
