Flag Officer Naval Aviation (India)
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| Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the FONA (Rear Admiral's flag) | |
| Indian Navy | |
| Abbreviation | FONA |
| Reports to | Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff |
| Seat | Goa |
| First holder | Rear Admiral R. V. Singh |
Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) is a senior appointment in the Indian Navy. A two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral, the FONA is the class authority for all aviation matters an is responsible for all aviation training and maintenance activity. Since 1987, the billet has been dual-hatted by the Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area (FOGA). The current FONA is Rear Admiral Ajay D. Theophilus, who assumed office on 1 August 2023.
After the Liberation of Goa and its absorption into the Indian Union in 1961, a naval detachment was established at Vasco in January 1962. This detachment grew and was commissioned as INS Gomantak in March 1964. In June that year, the naval air station INS Hansa moved from Sulur to Dabolim. With the development of establishments and naval infrastructure, the post of Naval Officer-in-Charge Goa (NOIC Goa) was created.[1][2]
In 1977, the appointment of NOIC Goa was upgraded to Rear Admiral and re-designated Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area (FOGA). Rear Admiral R. H. Tahiliani, AVSM took over as the first FOGA on 30 December 1977.[3]
In 1986, it was proposed to rationalise the command and control of the naval air arm by creating the appointment of Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA). The FONA would be responsible for all aviation training and maintenance activity and act as the class authority for all aviation matters. The operational deployment of all aviation units would continue to be controlled and directed by the respective commanders-in-chief. With Goa being the home of the naval air arm, FOGA was the natural choice to also serve as the FONA. In March 1986, the serving FOGA Rear Admiral R. V. Singh assumed the appointment of FONA as well. Since then the FOGA has dual-hatted as the FONA.[4][5]
List of Commanders
| S.No. | Name | Assumed office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear Admiral R. V. Singh AVSM | 4 March 1986 | 31 December 1987 | |
| 2 | Rear Admiral S. Ramsagar VrC NM | 11 June 1988 | 27 December 1989 | |
| 3 | Rear Admiral P. A. Debrass AVSM NM | 27 December 1989 | 30 November 1993 | |
| 4 | Rear Admiral Vinod Pasricha NM | 27 December 1993 | 4 January 1995 | Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.[6] |
| 5 | Rear Admiral Sureesh Mehta AVSM | 4 January 1995 | 9 May 1997 | Later Chief of the Naval Staff.[7] |
| 6 | Rear Admiral K. V. Bharathan VSM | 10 May 1997 | 6 November 1998 | Later Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.[8][9] |
| 7 | Rear Admiral Yashwant Prasad AVSM NM | 6 November 1998 | 16 July 1999 | Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command and Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.[10] |
| 8 | Rear Admiral K. Mohanan | 16 July 1999 | 28 September 2001 | |
| 9 | Rear Admiral S. K. Damle NM VSM | 28 September 2001 | 16 April 2004 | Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command.[11] |
| 10 | Rear Admiral Shekhar Sinha NM &bar | 16 April 2004 | 23 February 2006 | Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command |
| 11 | Rear Admiral S. M. Vadgaokar NM | 23 February 2006 | 28 January 2009 | [12] |
| 12 | Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai NM | 29 January 2009 | 27 May 2012 | [13][14][15] |
| 13 | Rear Admiral Balvinder Singh Parhar NM | 28 May 2012 | 26 March 2015 | [16][17] |
| 14 | Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh NM | 27 March 2015 | 5 October 2015 | Later Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.[18] |
| 15 | Rear Admiral Puneet Kumar Bahl VSM | 6 October 2015 | 9 February 2018 | Later Commandant of Indian Naval Academy.[19] |
| 16 | Rear Admiral Philipose George Pynumootil AVSM NM | 10 February 2018 | 30 April 2022 | [20][21] |
| 17 | Rear Admiral Vikram Menon VSM | 1 May 2022 | 31 July 2023 | Current Joint Secretary (Navy & Defence Staff) at the Department of Military Affairs.[22] |
| 18 | Rear Admiral Ajay D. Theophilus | 1 August 2023 | Present | Current FONA.[23] |
