![]() No.222 Squadron Tigersharks Motto : Vinahay Dushkrtam (Destroyer of Evil) Date Raised : 1969-09-15 Location : Thanjavur 222 Squadron was raised at Ambala on 15 Sep 69 with SU-7 aircraft. The Squadron moved to Halwara in Jul 71 and was soon engaged in active combat operations in the 1971 war. The Squadron launched counter air strikes against Risalewala and Chander Airfields with immense success despite stiff enemy opposition. Close Air Support was centered around Dra-Baba-Nanak, Husseinwala and Firozpur sectors. Numerous strikes were launched against enemy armour, gunpositions and troops which virtually paralysed the armour thrust and exposed its weak flanks for the Indian armour. Short term interdiction missions were directed against rolling stock, rail tracks, marshalling yeards, bridges and enemy convoys. In this the Squadron achieved remarkable success. Photo recee missions were launched deep into enemy territory against enemy radars. The Squadron was highly decorated for its role during the conflict with one MVC, three Vr C, three VMs and two Mentioned in Despatches.
In the post war period the Units continued its relentless task of maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and gained wide acclaim in exercises, gunnery meets and inspections. The Squadron shifted back to Ambala in May 75 and continued to operate from there till May 81. On 14 May 81, the Squadron shifted to Hindon. In Dec 85 the Squadron became the first Units in the IAF, to be quipped with MiG-27 aircraft. The then Prime Minister Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi visited the Squadron and named it "The Tigersharks". The Squadron moved to Air Force Station Hasimara on 19 May 1989. The Squadron was number plated in March 2011. It was resurrected in Jan 2020 on the Su-30 aircraft Aircraft Types operated over the years: |
Commanding Officers | |||||
Dates | Rank & Name | Number | Remarks | Location | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 Sep 69 to 31 May 73 | Wing Commander Allan Albert Da Costa | 4580 GD(P) | CO | Ambala/ Halwara | |
01 Jun 73 to 18 May 75 | Wing Commander Onkar Singh Wadhawan | 4899 GD(P) | CO | Halwara | |
19 May 75 to 14 Sep 77 | Wing Commander Kalpathy Annanthakrishna Hariharan | 5185 GD(P) | CO | Halwara/ Ambala | |
15 Sep 77 to 09 Dec 79 | Wing Commander Bipinchandra Shantaram Raje | 5182 GD(P) | CO | Ambala | |
10 Dec 79 to 04 Jul 82 | Wing Commander Syed Shahid Hussain Naqvi | 7193 GD(P) | CO | Ambala/ Hindon | |
05 Jul 82 to 29 Jul 84 | Wing Commander Swaran Singh Banga | 8100 GD(P) | CO | Hindon | |
30 Jul 84 to 28 Sep 86 | Wing Commander Jagjit Singh Ghuman | 10123 GD(P) | CO | Hindon | |
29 Sep 86 to 01 Nov 87 | Wing Commander Kuldeep Singh Sahota | 9848 GD(P) | CO | Hindon | |
02 Nov 87 to 29 Oct 89 | Wing Commander Gurcharan Singh Bhogal | 12504 GD(P) | CO | Hindon/ Hashimara | |
30 Oct 89 to 01 Dec 91 | Wing Commander Mukundan Sushil Kumar | 12502 GD(P) | CO | Hashimara | |
02 Dec 91 to 19 Dec 93 | Wing Commander Anup Rajkumar Nigam | 13240 F(P) | CO | Hashimara | |
20 Dec 93 to 15 May 95 | Wing Commander Kesava Kurup Vijay Kumar | 13396 F(P) | CO | Hashimara | |
15 May 95 to 23 Feb 97 | Wing Commander Jinendra Kumbhat | 14558 F(P) | CO | Hashimara | |
24 Feb 97 to 07 Mar 99 | Wing Commander Pochana Prasad Reddy | 15008 F(P) | CO | Hashimara | |
08 Mar 99 to 08 Feb 01 | Wing Commander Gurinder Singh Mann | 16033 F(P) | CO | Hashimara | |
09 Jul 01 to 03 Jun 03 | Wing Commander Jagroop Singh Sandhu | 16989 F(P) | CO | Hashimara | |
04 Jun 03 to 24 Apr 05 | Wing Commander Rajeev Bharadwaj | 18552 F(P) | CO | Hashimara | |
25 Apr 05 to | Wing Commander Inderpal Singh Walia | 19518 F(P) | CO | Hashimara |