Indian Navy Retires Sea Harriers
NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy has retired the Sea Harrier fleet that operated from its aircraft carrier INS Viraat, and plans to replace them with MiG- 29Ks that India has bought from Russia. The Indian Navy bought 30 British-made Sea Harriers in 1983 but only 11 now remain...... The Sea Harrier pilots are now being trained to fly the Russian MiG 29K fighter aircraft.........
The retired Sea Harriers have now been mothballed at the Indian Navy's Air Station in Goa before being distributed as museum pieces, the Indian Navy official said. Even the Viraat, which housed the Sea Harriers, is proposed to be retired by year end. The carrier, which was originally the Royal Navy's HMS Hermes, was bought from the Royal Navy in 1986........