Taken from a distance, murky skies and heat haze in the air. The smoke, the sound!

Indian Navy Il-38SD receiving some maintenance in a far corner of Zhukovsky.

Sea Dragon from INAS 315 "Winged Stallions" flying over Mumbai harbour for review by Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, President of India and Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces during President's Fleet Review 2011. INAS 315 was commissioned on 1 Oct. 1977 at Goa. From 2002 onward the Il-38s were upgraded with the Morskoy Zmey STS integrated with an Argon mission computer and could carry Kh-35 anti-ship missiles. Max. ordnance load incl. sonobuoys is 8,000 kg. The ELINT pod has a 360° field of view. These LRMR/ASW a/c guarded India's vast coastline till decommissioned on 31 Oct 2023.

There's nothing quite like music to the ears of the four Ivchenko AI-20M turboprops as this Sea Dragon from INAS 315 "Winged Stallions" comes in low over INS Hansa in the hands of Senior Pilot Cdr PK Sharma in the run-up to the President's Colors to Naval Aviation ceremony. The chin mounted Lanner-A (NV5-0101) EO pod gets a good look to starboard. The typically grey Goa monsoon weather exemplifies the conditions in which the airborne MR assets of the Indian Navy fly daily to guard the vast coastline.