Ajay D. Theophilus

Rear Admiral Ajay Daniel Theophilus is a serving flag officer of the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) and Flag Officer Goa Naval Area (FOGA). He previously served as the Deputy Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy (INA). He earlier served as the Commanding Officer of INS Hansa and was the commissioning commanding officer of the first Mikoyan MiG-29K naval air squadron INAS 303.

Rear Admiral

Ajay Daniel Theophilus
Theophilus as Deputy Commandant INA
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Navy
Years of service1991 - present
Rank Rear Admiral
Commands heldGoa Naval Area
INS Hansa
INS Tarkash (F50)
INS Talwar (F40)
INAS 303
INS Trinkat (T61)

Theophilus joined the Indian Naval Academy on 28 August 1987 and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1991. He was selected to undergo the pilot's course in June 1992. He trained as a Naval aviator and qualified as a fighter pilot. He has over 3000 hours of flying experience and has flown the HAL HJT-16 Kiran, the HAL HPT-32 Deepak, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, the British Aerospace Sea Harrier and the MiG-29K aircraft.[1]

Theophilus completed the Flying Instructors Course in 2001 and has is a Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) on Sea Harriers and MiG-29K. In 2004, India ordered the MiG-29K carrier-based fighter aircraft. Theophilus, as a Commander, was selected to head the project. He was appointed Officer-in-Charge (OiC) Intensive Flying Trials Unit (IFTU) and trained in Russia. As OiC, he led the team for the trials and testing of the aircraft. On 11 May 2013, the naval air squadron INAS 303 (The Black Panthers) was commissioned in Goa. Theophilus was the commissioning commanding officer and was the first Indian Pilot to land MiG-29K on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (R33).[2]

Theophilus commanded the lead ship of her-class of patrol vessels INS Trinkat (T61). In the rank of Captain, he served as the Captain (Air) of Vikramaditya. He subsequently commanded the lead ship of her-class of frigates, INS Talwar (F40). He later commanded her sister ship INS Tarkash (F50).[3]

Theophilus headed the directorate of air warfare and flight safety (AWFS) at Naval Headquarters. On 1 August 2020, he took over as Commanding officer (CO) of the Naval air station INS Hansa in Goa.[4][5]

Flag rank

On 1 April 2022, Theophilus was promoted to flag rank and appointed Deputy Commandant (DepCom) and Chief Instructor of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. He took over from Rear Admiral A. N. Pramod.[6][7] After a fourteen-month long stint as DepCom of INA, he was appointed Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA). During this tenure, he also dual-hats as the Flag Officer Goa Area (FOGA).[3]

Personal life

Theophilus married to Savitha Theophilus. The couple has two children - Abhijith and Millen.[2]

Awards and decorations
Samanya Seva Medal Special Service Medal Operation Vijay Star Operation Vijay Medal
Operation Parakram Medal Sainya Seva Medal Videsh Seva Medal 75th Anniversary of Independence Medal
50th Anniversary of Independence Medal 30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

References
  1. "Rear Admiral Ajay D Theophilus assumed charge as FOGA". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  2. "Deputy Commandant | INA". 23 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-04-23. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  3. "RAdm Ajay D Theophilus assumed charge as FOGA | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  4. "Commodore Ajay Theophilus takes over command at INS Hansa". aninews.in. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  5. "First commanding officer of Black Panthers takes charge of INS Hansa". The Times of India. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  6. "Rear Admiral Ajay D Theophilus took over the duties of Deputy Commandant,INA | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  7. "New Deputy Commandant takes over at INA". The Hindu. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
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