No.18 Squadron AF was formed at Ambala on 15 Apr 1965 with five Gnat aircraft and eleven pilots. The squadron was christened “FLYING BULLETS” as it was equipped with the Gnat fighter aircraft which was small, lean and deadly.The Sqn crest depicts a bullet with wings, ahead of which is a shockwave indicating supersonic flight. The Sqn motto is “Teevra aur Nirbhay” which translates to “Swift and Fearless”. The Sqn recieved one VM during the operations of 1965, three Mention-in-Dispatches in 1971 along with the only PVC of the Indian Air Force awarded to Fg Offr Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon. In Jan 72 it moved back to Ambala and there after moved to Srinagar once again in Feb 75 where it converted to Ajeets. The squadron remained at Srinagar till Jan 85 and then moved to Sulur and then to Bagdogra in Feb 88 after which it moved to Hindan in May 89 to be converted to the formidable MiG 27 ML, while operating across the length and breadth of the country. The Sqn was number-plated in Apr 16. Carrying forward the legacy of the “Flying Bullets”, the Sqn is again getting resurrected on 01 Apr 20 at Sulur, with eight officers and the indigenous Tejas Mk1 FOC aircraft, which is a single-engine, light weight, highly agile, all weather multi-role fighter aircraft. Though the primary role of the aircraft is Air Defence, it is also designed to undertake Ground attack and Maritime Operations. Being the first Squadron of the Tejas Mk1 FOC, the Flying Bullets have been tasked with the responsibility of operationalising the Sqn once again to carry forward the rich legacy of their predecessors.