No.108 Squadron Hawkeyes Motto : Shodan Aur Aakraman (Search and Strike) Date Raised : 1959-11-20 Disbanded : 2017-12-29 108 Squadron of the Indian Air Force was formed at AF Station Halwara on 20 Nov 1959 equipped with Vampire jets. The Squadron was christened ‘HAWKEYES’. The glory and success of the Squadron have been rising ever since its inception. The Squadron has moved across the length and breadth of the country operating from various bases like Pathankot in north, Belgaum in south, Bhuj in west to Baghdogra in east before finally settling down in its present location Nal.The Squadron crest, which depicts a hawk, a streak of lightning, and a battle axe that symbolises the squadron motto of ‘SHODHAN AUR AAKRAMAN’ which means ‘SEARCH AND STRIKE’. The hawk with its keen eyesight symbolises the search element of the motto whereas the lightning flash and the battle axe epitomise the immediate response and power of the strike that follows the acquisition of the target.The Squadron took part in the liberation of Goa and in the offensive action during the 1965 Indo-Pak War in the eastern sector while operating the Vampire aircraft. In Nov 1968 the Sqn converted to Su–7 aircraft becoming the first supersonic strike Squadron of the Indian Air Force and participated in the 1971 operations against Pakistan. In June 1973, the Squadron moved to Adampur and became the first Squadron to convert to the MiG-21M aircraft and ever since then the mighty MiG-21 has served the Squadron faithfully. The Squadron was then assigned the role of strike interdiction, photo reconnaissance and air defence. The Hawkeyes saw action during the Kargil conflict undertaking attacks in some of the most inhospitable terrains in the country while operating from Awantipur. For its exceptional performance, the Squadron was awarded Battle Honours by the President of India. The Squadron was assigned the role of MiG Operational Flying Training (MOFT) from 2003 to 2014. In 2009, the Squadron was awarded President’s standard. Later, in the same year the Squadron celebrated its Golden Jubilee on completion of fifty glorious years of its service to the nation. The Hawkeyes have been an epitome of professionalism and dedication, finely balancing the requirement of remaining operationally sharp and training budding fighter pilots, a job which requires a high degree of professionalism.After 58 years of guarding the nation’s skies, in 2018 the Hawkeyes marched into annals of history with a glorious legacy of the MiG-21 and the high standards hence set forth.
Aircraft Types operated over the years: |
Commanding Officers | |||||
Dates | Rank & Name | Number | Remarks | Location | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
07 Dec 59 to 15 Apr 62 | Squadron Leader Keshava Prasad Misra | 3650 GD(P) | CO | Halwara | |
16 May 62 to 12 May 65 | Squadron Leader Robert Arnold Weir | 3881 GD(P) | CO | Halwara/ Pathankot | |
13 May 65 to 26 May 65 | Squadron Leader Nuggehalli Krishnaswamy Ramprasad | 4673 GD(P) | CO | Pathankot | |
27 Jun 65 to 10 Dec 67 | Squadron Leader Eric Lionel Allen | 4582 GD(P) | CO | Pathankot/ Bagdogra/ | |
11 Dec 67 to 19 Nov 68 | Squadron Leader Dilip Shankar Jog | 4608 GD(P) | CO | Bareilly | |
20 Nov 68 to 16 Jul 72 | Wing Commander Balchandra Shankar Deshmukh | 4489 GD(P) | CO | Bareilly | |
17 Jul 72 to 21 May 73 | Wing Commander Onkar Singh Wadhawan | 4899 GD(P) | CO | Bareilly | |
22 May 73 to 17 Jul 75 | Wing Commander Rajendra Kumar Dhawan | 4736 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
18 Jul 75 to 05 Feb 76 | Wing Commander Mohan Murdeshwar | 5178 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
06 Feb 76 to 13 Jul 76 | Wing Commander Thupakulu Narasimhulu Bhavani Shankar | 5060 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
14 Jul 76 to 22 Oct 78 | Wing Commander Viney Kapila | 5596 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
23 Oct 78 to 14 Jan 80 | Wing Commander Philip Rajkumar | 6748 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
15 Jan 80 to 05 May 82 | Wing Commander Kumarendra De | 7415 GD(P) | CO | Adampur/ Bhatinda | |
06 May 82 to 28 Jun 82 | Wing Commander Prabhat Chandra Prasad | 8444 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
26 Jul 82 to 28 Feb 85 | Wing Commander Ashley Malcolm Rodriques | 8186 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
28 Feb 85 to 20 Apr 87 | Wing Commander James Arun Benjamin | 11296 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
28 Apr 87 to 01 Jan 88 | Wing Commander Adhip Banerjee | 11592 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
11 Jan 88 to 04 Jan 90 | Wing Commander Ashok Vishwanath Bhagwat | 12218 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
04 Jan 90 to 20 Jan 92 | Wing Commander Kanwar Dalinderjit Singh | 12403 GD(P) | CO | Adampur | |
20 Jan 92 to 03 Jan 94 | Wing Commander Anjan Kumar Gogoi | 13382 F(P) | CO | Adampur | |
03 Jan 94 to 18 Sep 95 | Wing Commander Motilal Nalluri | 13911 F(P) | CO | Adampur | |
18 Sep 95 to 24 Nov 97 | Wing Commander Narinder Pal Singh | 15036 F(P) | CO | Adampur | |
24 Nov 97 to 10 Jan 00 | Wing Commander Harjinder Jit Singh Jallawalla | 15206 F(P) | CO | Pathankot | |
10 Jan 00 to 15 Jul 02 | Wing Commander Sanjeev Narayan Deshpande | 16559 F(P) | CO | Pathankot | |
15 Jul 02 to 27 Jun 04 | Wing Commander Mohan Kumar Rao | 17343 F(P) | CO | Pathankot | |
28 Jun 04 to 13 Aug 06 | Wing Commander Balkrishnan Balachandran | 18561 F(P) | CO | Pathankot | |
14 Jul 06 to 04 Aug 08 | Wing Commander Badgu Charles Ernest | 20449 F(P) | CO | Pathankot | |
04 Aug 08 to 09 May 10 | Wing Commander Ganapathiraju Srinivas | 21505 F(P) | CO | Bhuj/ Nal | |
22 Sep 14 to 03 Mar 16 | Wing Commander Rahul Mathur | 23987 F(P) | CO | Nal | |
04 Mar 16 to 03 Jul 16 | Group Captain Rahul Mathur | 23987 F(P) | CO | Nal |