INS Rajali (Arakkonam)

INS Rajali is an Indian naval air station located near Arakkonam in the Ranipet district of Tamil Nadu, within the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The base spans 2,320 acres and operates under the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Naval Air Arm.

The original airfield at Arakkonam was constructed in early 1942 for Allied operations during World War II. Initial flight operations were conducted by No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Indian Air Force, flying Westland Lysander aircraft on support missions for the British Indian Army between May and September 1942. The airfield was abandoned after the war and remained unused until the 1980s, when it was transferred to the Indian Navy. The site was rehabilitated and formally commissioned as INS Rajali on 11 March 1992.

The installation hosts Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 312, an anti-submarine warfare squadron that relocated from INS Hansa. INAS 312 previously operated Tupolev Tu-142MK-E aircraft and currently operates P-8I Poseidon (Neptune) maritime patrol aircraft.

INS Rajali also houses the Helicopter Training School, which transferred from INS Garuda in July 1991. The unit trains rotary-wing pilots of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.