No.111 Helicopter Unit Snow Tigers Motto : Apatsu Mitram (A friend in time of need) Date Raised : 1963-07-02 Location : Bareilly Founded on July 2, 1963, at Tezpur by Squadron Leader B.S. Kalra, the 111 Helicopter Unit quickly established itself as a formidable force, initially piloting the sturdy MI-4 helicopters. During this period the Units also had a detachment of two ac for his highness of the King of Nepal. The unit demonstrated its strategic capability in 1965 with significant rocket attacks in Jammu & Kashmir. By 1966, it relocated to Hashimara, and in 1971, it was instrumental in the Bangladesh Liberation War, conducting operations from multiple locations and executing a variety of missions. The unit entered a new era in 1976 with the acquisition of Chetak helicopters, enhancing its operational capabilities. In 1983, it moved to Bareilly, was rebranded as the "Snow Tigers," and transitioned to an attack role. It engaged in extensive joint exercises with the Army and Air Force, solidifying its reputation as a versatile and formidable unit. In 2003, the unit transitioned away from its previous role due to the phasing out of the AS-11 Malyutka missile system. On May 11, 2004, the unit reached new heights by setting a world record for the highest landing by a Cheetah helicopter at an altitude of 23,250 feet. This feat was accomplished during a rescue operation for mountaineers from the Air Force Mount Kamet Expedition Team, marking a significant milestone in the unit's history of exceptional performance and service.
Aircraft Types operated over the years: |
Commanding Officers | |||||
| 22 Nov 65 - 24 Feb 69Squadron LeaderBirendra Datt Dangwal4839 GD(P)COHashimara | 24 Feb 69 - 26 Jan 72Squadron LeaderKodendera Cariappa Cariappa5376 GD(P)COHashimara | 26 Jun 72 - 15 Mar 76Squadron LeaderManjit Singh Dhillon7021 GD(P)COHashimara | 15 Mar 76 - 25 Jul 77Squadron LeaderArun Devap Nayak8946 GD(P)CO | |
| | | 17 Jan 83 - 08 May 83Wing CommanderRamesh Thakurdas Chandani9797 GD(P)CO | 09 May 83 - 03 Jul 85Wing CommanderRajinder Pal Singh Dhillon7741 GD(P)CO | |
04 Jul 83 - 07 Jul 85Wing CommanderGurdip Singh9395 GD(P)CO | | | 07 Dec 87 - 16 Dec 90Wing CommanderSudhir Sah11648 GD(P)CO | 17 Dec 90 - 05 May 93Wing CommanderSadanand Keshav Dixit12407 GD(P)CO | |
06 May 93 - 06 Apr 96Wing CommanderSanjiv Mishra14094 F(P)CO | 22 Apr 96 - 05 Aug 97Wing CommanderArun Purushottam Garud14692 F(P)CO | 24 Nov 97 - 18 Jun 00Wing CommanderSunil Bijlani16087 F(P)CO | 19 Jun 00 - 04 Aug 02Wing CommanderAjay Dogra17145 F(P)CO | 05 Aug 02 - 04 Jul 04Wing CommanderSudhir Kumar Sharma17717 F(P)CO | |
05 Jul 04 - 25 Jun 06Wing CommanderAshwin Keshav Puntambekar19210 F(P)CO | 02 Dec 13 - 25 Jul 14Wing CommanderThakur Narsing Bhagat Singh23790 F(P)COBareilly |