The Indian Navy retired its fleet of Sea King 42B Anti Submarine Warfare helicopters on June 15, 2026. The squadron that inducted them, INAS 330 Squadron ‘Harpoons’, was number-plated. But in a twist worthy of these great machines, it emerges that at least four of these 42Bs will continue to fly. They were converted into a troop transport role, the ‘C’ or commando-carrying version, some years ago. 

“There are six 42 Cs or Charlies, and there are about four to five Bravos, which were converted into Charlies— in the field, they are called Barleys. So those are going to fly, and they're going to be used for commando role as well as for trials like the successful NASM (Naval Anti-Ship Missile) missile firing, which is an indigenous endeavour, which is of great significance,” Rear Admiral PG Philipose (Retired).

The veteran Sea King pilot was speaking on the Meluha Maritime YouTube Channel with Commodore Srikant Kesnur (Retired) and another Sea King veteran, Commodore G Prakash. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Z4ql05bjw&t=656s

”The Americans came up with the pure ASW Sikorsky SH-3 with Search and Rescue (SAR) capabilities. The British  made their own version of it. Over the next two to three decades, both countries took different paths to improving it. The Americans came up with a multi-role LAMPS concept, Light Airborne Multipurpose System, which they put on a smaller aircraft called the Common Sea Sprite. And thereafter,  never depended on Sea Kings for anti-ship strike,” says Commodore G Prakash. 

The Harpoons were commissioned on 17 April 1971 at INS Garuda, Kochi, with the Westland WS-61 ‘A’ Sea King, a British license-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter (the Indian Navy also operated the S-61 variant between 2009-2024). The squadron received a jump in capabilities with the acquisition of the  Sea King Mk 42B version  in 1985— it was was called a "Flying Frigate" for its ability to carry multiple sensors and weapons. It had a MEL Super Searcher radar, an Alcatel HS-12 dipping sonar, a Chelton 7 homer, an ESM by Marconi Hermes and an AQS-902B acoustic processor. It was armed with A244S torpedoes, Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles, Mk 11 depth charge, sensors such as Super Searcher radar, HS-12 dunking sonar, ESM, acoustic processor suite. It was easily adaptable across naval decks. 

On 26 July 1971, a Sea King Mk 42 landed on India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, for the very first time. The first operational ASW mission was flown on 18 October 1971. On 31 November 1971, while on an ‘Advance Screen’, a Sea King picked up a suspected submarine contact and carried out a vectored attack for the first time. As the 1971 war broke out, extensive ASW operations were conducted, and the Harpoons clocked over 156 hours of war effort. 

The squadron won many honours, including 22 Nausena Medals, a staggering number for a largely peacetime navy since 1971, and flew an estimated 25,000 hours with three dozen airframes over five decades.The Mk-42C variant had a nose-mounted Bendix RDR 1400C radar, which replaced the MEL Super Searcher. In March 2004, Italian company AgustaWestland signed a contract with HAL to enable it to perform indigenous Sea King repair and overhaul work in support of the Indian Navy Sea King fleet.

The Indian Navy has moved on to the Sikorsky MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopter as its multi-role helicopter platform. On March 6, 2024, INAS 334 was commissioned into the fleet air arm with MH-60Rs. On 17 December 2025, the second squadron, INAS 335, was raised at INS Hansa.  The Indian Navy has received 21 out of 24 helicopters, and the remaining 3 are expected to be delivered in 2026. The DBMRH (Deck Based Multirole Helicopter) is yet to take off, as the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) program is in the prototype development phase. 

Arjun Dev Singh

Arjun Dev Singh has a deep interest in defence, security, and strategic affairs. With a strong analytical lens and a passion for military and geopolitical developments, Arjun strives to bring clarity and context to complex national and international issues.