Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA)
Flag of the FONA (Rear Admiral's flag)
Incumbent Rear AdmiralAjay D. Theophilus since 1 August 2023
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 theIndian Navy. Atwo star admiral holding the rank ofRear 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 theFlag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area (FOGA). The current FONA isRear AdmiralAjay D. Theophilus, who assumed office on 1 August 2023.

After theLiberation of Goa and its absorption into the Indian Union in 1961, a naval detachment was established atVasco in January 1962. This detachment grew and was commissioned as INS Gomantak in March 1964. In June that year, thenaval air stationINS Hansa moved fromSulur toDabolim. 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 toRear Admiral and re-designated Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area (FOGA). Rear AdmiralR. 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 thenaval 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]

• Indian Naval Air Arm

• Singh, Satyindra (1992),Blueprint To Bluewater - The Indian Navy 1951-1965, Lancer Publishers,ISBN 81-7062-148-8
• Hiranandani, Gulab Mohanlal (2000),Transition To Triumph - Indian Navy 1965-1975, Lancer Publishers LLC,ISBN 1-897829-72-8
• Hiranandani, Gulab Mohanlal (2005),Transition to eminence : The Indian Navy 1976-1990, Lancer Publishers,ISBN 978-8170622666
• Hiranandani, Gulab Mohanlal (2009),Transition to Guardianship: The Indian Navy, 1991–2000, Lancer Publishers LLC,ISBN 978-1-935501-66-4

• Indian Navy
• Indian military appointments
• Indian Navy appointments

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata