No.28 Squadron First Supersonics

Motto : Sanharancha Karothi Ya (Determined to Destroy)
Date Raised : 1963-03-23 Location : Adampur
28 Squadron. ‘The First Supersonics’ was raised on 23 Mar 1963 at Air Force Station Chandigarh with the MiG-21 T-74, making it the first squadron of IAF to operate a supersonic fighter. Within a short time, the squadron was deployed during the 1965 War, carrying out Air Defence duties with the T-74 and the new T-76. After the war, the squadron converted to the MiG-21 FL (Type-77) and deployed to the easter theatre during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. The squadron carried out counter-air missions, putting enemy airfields out of action and earning the sobriquet 'Runway Busters', Most notable contribution during the war was the rocket strike on Governor's house at Dhaka, triggering the surrender and liberation of Bangladesh. The squadron earned 'Battle Honours in 1995 for the Air Offensive in the 1971 war. In 1987, the squadron converted to the MiG-29B and took on the role of air defence in the South Western sector. In 2019, the squadron converted to the MiG-29UPG and moved to AFS Adampur, where it deployed to high-altitude airfields like Leh and Thoise against the eastern adversary. During this period the squadron also carried out air-to-ground armament envelope expansion trials in addition to proving the aircraft in the night strike role. Its motto "Sanharancha Karothi Ya' translates to ‘Determined to Destroy’. The crest depicts the Sudarshan Chakra in motion, believed to be the eternal weapon of destruction. The shockwave symbolises the speed of its approach, making its perception difficult.

Aircraft Types operated over the years:

Commanding Officers

View in Grid

DatesRank & NameNumberRemarksLocationPhoto
02 Mar 63 to 14 Mar 65Wing Commander Dilbagh Singh2998 GD(P)COChandigarh
15 Mar 65 to 17 Oct 67Wing Commander Malcolm Shirley Dundas Wollen3641 GD(P)COChandigarh/ Adampur
18 Oct 67 to 31 May 70Wing Commander Surendra Kumar Mehra4197 GD(P)COAdampur/ Tezpur
01 Jun 70 to 23 Sep 73Wing Commander Bhupendra Kumar Bishnoi4594 GD(P)COTezpur
24 Sep 73 to 14 Feb 76Wing Commander Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran4973 GD(P)COTezpur
20 Feb 76 to 18 Apr 78Wing Commander Janak Kumar5122 GD(P)COTezpur
18 Apr 78 to 29 May 80Wing Commander Milind Shankar6130 GD(P)COTezpur
31 May 80 to 06 Aug 81Wing Commander Jagbir Singh5783 GD(P)COTezpur
11 Aug 81 to 23 Oct 83Wing Commander Tej Mohan Asthana7672 GD(P)COTezpur
24 Oct 83 to 01 Dec 85Wing Commander Mohinder Singh Bhatia8734 GD(P)COTezpur
02 Dec 85 to 15 Dec 86Wing Commander Subhash Bhojwani9734 GD(P)COTezpur
01 Jul 87 to 05 Jun 89Wing Commander Harish Masand11272 GD(P)COPune
06 Jun 89 to 16 Jun 91Wing Commander Udoy Narayan Ganguly12381 GD(P)COPune
17 Jun 91 to 30 May 93Wing Commander Ajay Shrivniwas Karnik13140 F(P)COPune
31 May 93 to 26 Mar 95Wing Commander Rakesh Yadav13932 F(P)COPune
27 Mar 95 to 14 Apr 97Wing Commander Ujjal Prabhat Biswas14090 F(P)COPune
15 Apr 97 to 09 Jun 99Wing Commander Divakar Paul Upot15544 F(P)COPune
10 Jun 99 to 16 Sep 01Wing Commander Philip Manchar Cherian16570 F(P)COPune/ Jamnagar
17 Sep 01 to 08 Jun 03Wing Commander Vivek Ram Chaudhari16978 F(P)COJamnagar
09 Jun 03 to 30 Jun 05Wing Commander Rajeevan Thotten17168 F(P)COJamnagar
01 Jun 05 to 25 Aug 07Wing Commander Aman Nautiyal18789 F(P)COJamnagar
26 Aug 07 to 15 Jun 09Wing Commander K Jaskaran Vir Singh Varaich20109 F(P)COJamnagar
05 Jul 11 to 17 Jun 13Wing Commander Harbinder Singh22953 F(P)COJamnagar
18 Jun 13 to 31 Mar 14Wing Commander Ashok Paiva23516 F(P)COJamnagar
01 Apr 14 to 07 Jun 15Group Captain Ashok Paiva23516 F(P)COJamnagar

Note: All the data available here is publicly available in the Gazette of India, published by the Indian Government, or from public domain sources, press releases about Awards and Right-To-Information (RTI) Requests. Additionally data shared by veterans is added to the page with permission. No data with respect to serving officers below the rank of AVM is displayed. Information in Gazette of India and Award citations and photographs as released by the Indian Air Force are the only details displayed.