No. 52 Squadron IAF
52 Squadron 'The Sharks' | ||
---|---|---|
Trainer BAE Systems Hawk | |
No. 52 Squadron is an aerobatic squadron of the
History
52 Squadron IAF was organized on 1 January 1986 at 16 Wing, Hashimara and equipped with
Formation aerobatics has been a part of IAF aviation history since it was established. The Surya Kiran (which means 'sunbeam' in Sanskrit) squadron was conceived in 1996 to serve as Ambassadors who would showcase the prowess of the Air Force's fighter pilots in precision aerobatic flying. The SKAT was a successor of the earlier display team, the 'Thunderbolts', who performed in the early 1980s.
Citing shortage of aircraft for training purposes, The IAF retired the Kirans soon after the 2011 Aero India display and announced that the Indian aerobatics team would regroup on the BAE Systems’ Hawk trainer aircraft.
Aircraft
Aircraft | From | To | Air Base |
---|---|---|---|
MiG-21 FL |
1 January 1986 | January 1990 | AFS Hasimara[1] |
January 1990 | 31 October 1996 | AFS Bagdogra | |
1 November 1996 | June 2005 | AFS Chabua | |
HJT-16 Kiran Mk II | 1 May 2006 | 30 June 2011 | |
BAE Hawk Mk.132 | February 2015 | -Present | AFS Bidar[5] |
Gallery
References
- ^ a b "No.52 Squadron Sharks". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ "Indian skies, foreign thrills at Aero India". Deccan Chronicle. 23 January 2013.
- ^ a b "AEROBATICS Flying colours of courage". The Tribune. 31 March 2007.
- ^ "Squadron 52 "Sharks"". Global Security. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Suryakiran: Flying formation that dazzles the skies with loops, rolls and dives". Tribune India. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.