Naval aviation arrived in Visakhapatnam on 23 December 1972, when the 321 Helicopter Flight set up operations at INS Circars, the naval headquarters in the city. Four years later, in 1976, four helipads and hangars were constructed next to the civilian airfield. Then came the pivotal moment: on 12 March 1986, the Visakhapatnam Airport itself was transferred from the National Airports Authority of India to the Indian Navy. Overnight, the Navy owned a full runway. The facility was designated Naval Air Station, Visakhapatnam, and the buildup began in earnest -- additional hangars, maintenance shops, and an operations complex rose alongside the inherited civilian infrastructure. On 21 October 1991, Vice Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas formally commissioned the station as INS Dega, giving it the eagle name it carries today.

By 2014, INS Dega hosted five squadrons and four ship-borne flights, a concentration of capability that reflects Visakhapatnam's importance as headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command. The lineup covers nearly every mission the Navy flies. INAS 551 trains fighter pilots on BAE Hawk advanced jet trainers. INAS 311 runs maritime reconnaissance with Dornier 228 turboprops, the workhorses of coastal surveillance. INAS 321, the original unit, still flies search-and-rescue missions in HAL Chetak helicopters. INAS 333 hunts submarines with Kamov Ka-28 helicopters, and INAS 350 handles logistics and transport with Sea King 42C helicopters. A separate UAV squadron operates DRDO Lakshya pilotless target drones. Together, they make INS Dega one of the busiest naval air stations in the country.

Operational intensity has brought risk alongside capability. On 2 June 2010, a HAL Chetak helicopter carrying four personnel clipped high-tension wires and crashed into the Sarada River. Local fishermen reached the wreckage first, pulling the injured crew from the submerged aircraft and cutting seat belts -- one officer died, three survived thanks to those fishermen's speed. Two years later, on 16 February 2012, an unmanned IAI Searcher drone crashed into a hillside near Himachal Nagar in the Gajuwaka area while returning from operations. Navy personnel arrived by helicopter to recover the flight recorder. These incidents underscore the reality of operating complex aircraft from a base squeezed between a growing city and the sea.

Plans for INS Dega's future match its name's ambition. Reports from 2014 indicated preparations to permanently station a full squadron of seventeen Mikoyan MiG-29K carrier-capable fighters at the base, a move aimed at strengthening the defense of India's eastern seaboard. The Ministry of Defence invested an initial sanction for technical support and infrastructure facilities in July 2014. The expansion blueprint envisions the base growing from its current 1,100 acres to over 1,500 acres, with a parallel taxiway to reduce runway congestion and cut turnaround times. To relieve the growing flight traffic, the Navy has also been evaluating a satellite airfield at Badangi near Vizianagaram. Whether the eagle stays in its current nest or spreads to a second, INS Dega's trajectory points in one direction: upward.