INS Hansa (Dabolim (Goa Dabolim Airport))

INS Hansa is an Indian naval air station located near Dabolim in Goa, India. The military airfield includes a civil enclave that operates as Dabolim Airport.

The base was commissioned by the Indian Navy on 5 September 1961 at Sulur, Tamil Nadu. It was initially co-located with the Indian Air Force and housed INAS 551 operating de Havilland Vampires, alongside training facilities for Hawker Sea Hawk and Breguet Alizé aircraft. Following the military annexation of Goa in December 1961, INS Hansa was relocated to Dabolim. Between 1983 and 2016, the installation hosted training activities for the BAE Sea Harrier.

INS Hansa operates as an aviation facility for the Indian Naval Air Arm and the Indian Coast Guard, accommodating over 2,000 military personnel and 1,000 civilians. It houses nine Indian Naval Air Squadrons (INAS). Fighter operations are conducted by INAS 300 and INAS 303 utilizing Mikoyan MiG-29K fighters and MiG-29KUB trainers. Maritime surveillance and long-range patrols, which extend as far as the Horn of Africa, are executed by INAS 310 operating Dornier 228s and INAS 316 with P-8I Poseidons. The Navy also operates Ilyushin Il-38 and TU-142M maritime aircraft from the installation.

Rotary-wing units include INAS 321, INAS 322, and INAS 323, which operate HAL Chetak and HAL Dhruv helicopters for search and rescue. INAS 339 operates Kamov Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopters, while the base also hosts Kamov Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters. INAS 552 conducts the navy's flight testing operations. The Indian Coast Guard maintains an air enclave at the base, operating Chetak helicopters under CGAS 800 and Dhruv helicopters under CGAS 851. Additionally, the Sagar Pawan aerobatic team operates Kiran aircraft from the airfield.

Infrastructure at INS Hansa includes a Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF), designed by the Russian Nevskoye Design Bureau for the Aeronautical Development Agency. The SBTF replicates the flight deck of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. It is utilized to train and certify pilots for carrier operations with the MiG-29K and to conduct developmental trials for the naval HAL Tejas. A naval aviation museum is also located on the premises.