India Retires Sea King Mk.42B Helicopters

The Indian Navy has retired its fleet of Westland Sea King Mk.42B helicopters and disbanded Naval Air Squadron INAS 330 “Harpoons” after more than 55 years of service.

According to RNA, the Sea King fleet is being replaced primarily by the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk, a modern multirole naval helicopter. India approved the purchase of 24 MH-60Rs in 2020 under a $2.4 billion deal.

The future replacement of the Sea King Mk.42B and the Navy’s broader requirement for multirole helicopters are expected to be met by the indigenous Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) program. The aircraft is currently being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru and will also be produced in a navalized deck-based version known as the Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH).

The Mk.42B version was customized by British manufacturer GKN Westland to meet the Indian Navy’s operational requirements and played a key role in strengthening India’s maritime capabilities across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Sea King helicopters, including the Mk.42B and Mk.42C variants, entered Indian Navy service between 1971 and 1986. They were acquired to enhance the fleet’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and maritime aviation capabilities.

Over time, however, the emergence of quieter submarines and increasingly sophisticated anti-ship weapons reduced the effectiveness of the Sea King’s aging sensor suite. After more than three decades in service, the helicopters also faced growing airframe wear and persistent spare-parts shortages, making continued operation increasingly difficult.

The Sea King Mk.42B helicopters were employed for exclusive economic zone (EEZ) surveillance, fleet reconnaissance, search-and-rescue (SAR) missions, maritime domain awareness (MDA), and carrier-based surveillance operations.

The original Sea King Mk.42s played a significant role during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, conducting extensive anti-submarine warfare (ASW) patrols.

Of the 17 Mk.42B helicopters that remained in service, four have been converted to perform utility and support roles by removing their sonar systems, acoustic processing equipment, and other mission-specific hardware. Three Sea King Mk.42Bs are expected to be retained as test and evaluation platforms for research and development activities.

The remaining helicopters will be used as a source of spare parts to support the six Sea King Mk.42C aircraft that remain in service with Naval Air Squadron INAS 350 “Saaras”.

The retirement of the Sea King Mk.42B fleet and the disbandment of INAS 330 form part of the Indian Navy’s broader modernization effort. The move reflects a transition to newer platforms equipped to address evolving undersea threats and operate effectively in a modern maritime combat environment.