The Indian Navy formally retired its remaining Tupolev Tu-142M long-range maritime patrol aircraft in a ceremony at INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu on March 29. Indian Naval Air Squadron 312 has now converted to the Boeing P-8I Neptune maritime patrol aircraft. The ceremony, attended by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba, included a flypast of Tu-142M aircraft and a mixed selection of other Indian Navy platforms, including the P-8I and Ilyushin Il-38. The ceremony culminated with one of the Tu-142M aircraft dedicated for static heritage display at INS Rajali, commemorating 29 years of service with the Indian Navy.
The Tu-142 was inducted into Indian Navy service with INAS 312 at INS Hansa in April 1988, replacing the Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation, which had been retired in 1983, but the fleet moved to Rajali in March 1992.
The P-8I was formally inducted into service by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in November 2015.
