Home

220 Squadron, IAF - Unsung warriors of 1965

Details
Category: History
Last Updated: Tuesday, 01 September 2015 22:21
Written by Sandhya Janorkar
Hits: 6134

The events of September 1st, 1965 are seared into the minds of every Air Force veteran who fought in that conflict.  In no small measure to the sacrifice made by three pilots of No.45 and 220 Squadron, flying obsolete Vampire FB52s in the face of the overwhelming odds against the Pakistani offensive in Chamb. In this article Mrs. Sandhya Janorkhar writes about her one of the 'few' who didnt return that day. 

Read more ...

Golden Arrows over Kargil

Details
Category: Kargil War 1999
Last Updated: Wednesday, 15 July 2015 12:31
Written by 17 Squadron War Diary
Hits: 10817

No.17 Squadron took part in the Kargil Operations distinguishing itself in the Fighter Recce role. Under the command of then Wg Cdr B S Dhanoa, the unit was engaged in operations throughout the conflict and one of its members paid the ultimate sacrifice to the nation.

Read more ...

I was a Japanese Prisoner of War

Details
Category: Veterans Project - Interviews, Profiles and Memoirs
Last Updated: Saturday, 04 July 2015 02:14
Written by Fg Offr K Velayadhun Nair
Hits: 7661

Towards the end of November 1944, No.2 Squadron IAF moved from Kohat to Mambur airstrip on the Burma Front to take part in the operations against the Japanese. Within a day of the operations starting, On 2nd December 1944, Flying Officer K V Nair failed to return from a sortie. His Hurricane aircraft, LA316 was seen force-landing near a Chaung 15 miles NE of Akyab. Nair was seen clmbing out of the aircraft but his  fate remained a mystery till about five months later when he was one of the Prisoners of War liberated from the Rangoon Jail.  Nair would give the following account of the period he spent as as a POW under the Japanese.

Read more ...

The Ajeet Trainer - Short lived and scantily used

Details
Category: Retired Aircraft Histories
Last Updated: Monday, 12 June 2017 13:23
Written by Wg Cdr A K Gupta (Retd)
Hits: 6318
Ajeet Trainer E2427

The HAL built Ajeet Trainer is one of the odd-ball aircraft in the IAF's history. Only two examples were inducted and they were introduced at the fag end of the career of a legendary fighter. Wg Cdr A K (Lui) Gupta goes over their short career in the IAF - which lasted less than four years! 

Read more ...

IAF goes International : Exercises with foreign air forces

Details
Category: Contemporary Articles
Last Updated: Tuesday, 12 May 2015 03:10
Written by Air Marshal Subhash Bhojwani
Hits: 13349

Soldiering is not a profession which gives one the opportunity to learn on the job. The lessons thrown up by realistic exercises play an important role in a soldier's training for war. This article is a look at the IAF's participation in various International exercises between 1999 and 2007, and the lessons it learnt from its international exposure. 

Read more ...

Dakota in a Combat Zone

Details
Category: The India-Pakistan War 1965
Last Updated: Wednesday, 06 May 2015 13:12
Written by Arunesh Prasad
Hits: 10526

The official history of the No.43 Squadron carries the following tantalising tidbit . "On 6 September 1965, the squadron had its first direct encounter with the enemy. Three aircraft took off from Amritsar in the evening with for Hunter escorts when they were attacked by a formation of four Sabres and a B-57 bomber. The Hunters latched on the Sabres. The B-57 got a chance and fired at the last DAKOTA, which was still on the ground about to take off. The DAKOTA was not hit and got airborne safely." . This incident did not get told anywhere else till now - as Sqn Ldr Arunesh "Bachu" Prasad puts on record what happened that evening.

Read more ...

Sparrow or Moss?

Details
Category: The Bangladesh War 1971
Last Updated: Thursday, 23 April 2015 02:48
Written by Air Marshal Subhash Bhojwani
Hits: 15863

Did the IAF ever use the Tu-124 Moss AWACS?  As first alleged by John Fricker in an article written on behalf of the Pakistan Air Force? Air Marshal Subhash Bhojwani sets the record straight. 

Read more ...