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No. 109 Helicopter Unit, IAF

2021-12-12T01:23:14Z

2A02:AB88:380E:5A00:9435:2A95:B17E:A3EA: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= No. 109 Helicopter Unit
|image= File:Crest of N0. 109 helicopter unit.jpg
|caption=
|dates= 26 August 1961 - Present
|country={{flagicon|India}} [[Republic of India]]
|allegiance=
|branch={{air force|India}}
|type=
|role=[[Electronic warfare|EW]] [[Military logistics|Military Transport]] [[Reconnaissance]] [[CASEVAC|CasEvac]] [[Close air support]]
|size=
|command_structure=
|garrison=[[Sulur Air Force Station|Sulur AFS]]
|garrison_label=
|nickname="Knights"
|patron=
|motto=''Apatsu Mitram'' A friend in time of need
|colors=
|colors_label=
|march=
|mascot=
|equipment=
|equipment_label=
|battles=
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
|disbanded=

|commander1=
|commander1_label=
|commander2=
|commander2_label=
|commander3=
|commander3_label=
|notable_commanders=

|identification_symbol=A Rotary blade on the backdrop of the [[Himalaya]]n mountains.
|identification_symbol_label=
|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=

|aircraft_attack=
|aircraft_bomber=
|aircraft_electronic=
|aircraft_fighter=
|aircraft_recon=
|aircraft_trainer=
|aircraft_transport=[[Mil Mi-17#Variants|Mi-17 V5]]<ref name="new Mi-17">{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/Sulur-Airbase-gets-modern-helicopters/article13990398.ece|title=Sulur Airbase gets modern helicopters|date=8 October 2016}}</ref>
}}

'''No.109 Helicopter Unit''' (''Knights'') is a squadron of the [[Indian Air Force]]. Raised on August 26, 1961 equipped with [[Mil Mi-4|Mi 4]]s, it later converted to [[Mil Mi-8|Mi 8]]s in 1974, which were further replaced by [[Mil Mi-17|Mi-17 V5]] in 2016.<ref name="new Mi-17" /> Based at [[Sulur Air Force Station]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Wilson |title=How air warriors fromSulur flew to help Kerala |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/how-air-warriors-fromsulur-flew-to-help-kerala/article24795453.ece |work=The Hindu |date=28 August 2018 |language=en-IN}}</ref> it currently forms a part of the [[Southern Air Command (India)|Southern Air Command]].<ref name=scramble>[http://www.scramble.nl/in.htm '''Dutch Aviation Society'''. OrBat of the Indian Air Force] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122235334/http://www.scramble.nl/in.htm |date=2009-01-22 }}</ref>

Since its raising, No. 109 HU has been involved in almost all major military operations, flying in support of [[Indian Army]] right from the [[Sino-Indian War|1962 conflict with China]], to supporting [[IPKF]] operations against the [[LTTE]] in [[Sri Lanka]] in 1987.<ref name=IAF>[http://indianairforce.nic.in/show_unit.php?ch=44 '''No. 109 Helicopter Unit'''. Indian Air Force]</ref>

==Crest==
No 109 HU has, as its emblem, a tribladed rotary on the backdrop of the [[Himalaya]]n mountains. Below this crest, the words ''Apatsu Mitram'' ([[Sanskrit]]- Friend in need), are inscribed upon a scroll in [[Devnagari]].<ref name=IAF/>

==History==
===1962 Sino Indian War===
No 109 HU had been thrust into action right from the moment of its birth when, in 1962, the [[Sino-Indian War]] Broke out. The unit maintained a two aircraft detachment under the [[Eastern Air Command (India)|Eastern Air Command]], which served extensively in [[CASEVAC]] and [[Tactical airlift|logistics]] missions in and around the [[Spiti Valley]].<ref name=IAF/> in face of extremes of conditions and harshest of terrains.

Following the war, 109 was deployed in a number of different roles, from supporting the Border Roads Development Organisation, in the [[North East India]], to flying in support of disaster relief following the Jagadhri floods in [[Uttar Pradesh]] in 1963.

The military role of 109, however, again came into calling when riots broke out in [[Srinagar]] in January 1964, preluding to the [[1965 War|Second Kashmir War]].No 109 HU was heavily involved in the tactical airlift of [[Indian Army|troops and security personnel]] into the sensitive areas in the valley, and was also heavily involved in reconnaissance and patrol missions.<ref name=IAF/>

===Assignments===
*[[Sino-Indian War]]
*[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Second Kashmir War]]
*[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|Liberation of Bangladesh, 1971]]
*[[Siachen conflict|Siachen]]
*[[Bhopal Disaster|Bhopal Disaster relief]]
*[[Jaffna University Helidrop|IPKF, Jaffna Helidrop]]
*[[Operation Pawan|IPKF Jaffna Operations]]
*[[2015 South Indian floods]]
*[[Aero India]]
*[[Iron Fist (exercise)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Indian Air Force}}

[[Category:Indian Air Force aircraft squadrons|109]]
[[Category:Helicopter units and formations]]
[[Category:1961 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1961]]

No. 109 Helicopter Unit, IAF

2021-12-12T01:23:14Z

2A02:AB88:380E:5A00:9435:2A95:B17E:A3EA: robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= No. 109 Helicopter Unit
|image= File:Crest of N0. 109 helicopter unit.jpg
|caption=
|dates= 26 August 1961 - Present
|country={{flagicon|India}} [[Republic of India]]
|allegiance=
|branch={{air force|India}}
|type=
|role=[[Electronic warfare|EW]] [[Military logistics|Military Transport]] [[Reconnaissance]] [[CASEVAC|CasEvac]] [[Close air support]]
|size=
|command_structure=
|garrison=[[Sulur Air Force Station|Sulur AFS]]
|garrison_label=
|nickname="Knights"
|patron=
|motto=''Apatsu Mitram'' A friend in time of need
|colors=
|colors_label=
|march=
|mascot=
|equipment=
|equipment_label=
|battles=
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
|disbanded=

|commander1=
|commander1_label=
|commander2=
|commander2_label=
|commander3=
|commander3_label=
|notable_commanders=

|identification_symbol=A Rotary blade on the backdrop of the [[Himalaya]]n mountains.
|identification_symbol_label=
|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=

|aircraft_attack=
|aircraft_bomber=
|aircraft_electronic=
|aircraft_fighter=
|aircraft_recon=
|aircraft_trainer=
|aircraft_transport=[[Mil Mi-17#Variants|Mi-17 V5]]<ref name="new Mi-17">{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/Sulur-Airbase-gets-modern-helicopters/article13990398.ece|title=Sulur Airbase gets modern helicopters|date=8 October 2022}}</ref>
}}

'''No.109 Helicopter Unit''' (''Knights'') is a squadron of the [[Indian Air Force]]. Raised on August 26, 1961 equipped with [[Mil Mi-4|Mi 4]]s, it later converted to [[Mil Mi-8|Mi 8]]s in 1974, which were further replaced by [[Mil Mi-17|Mi-17 V5]] in 2016.<ref name="new Mi-17" /> Based at [[Sulur Air Force Station]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Wilson |title=How air warriors fromSulur flew to help Kerala |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/how-air-warriors-fromsulur-flew-to-help-kerala/article24795453.ece |work=The Hindu |date=28 August 2018 |language=en-IN}}</ref> it currently forms a part of the [[Southern Air Command (India)|Southern Air Command]].<ref name=scramble>[http://www.scramble.nl/in.htm '''Dutch Aviation Society'''. OrBat of the Indian Air Force] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122235334/http://www.scramble.nl/in.htm |date=2009-01-22 }}</ref>

Since its raising, No. 109 HU has been involved in almost all major military operations, flying in support of [[Indian Army]] right from the [[Sino-Indian War|1962 conflict with China]], to supporting [[IPKF]] operations against the [[LTTE]] in [[Sri Lanka]] in 1987.<ref name=IAF>[http://indianairforce.nic.in/show_unit.php?ch=44 '''No. 109 Helicopter Unit'''. Indian Air Force]</ref>

==Crest==
No 109 HU has, as its emblem, a tribladed rotary on the backdrop of the [[Himalaya]]n mountains. Below this crest, the words ''Apatsu Mitram'' ([[Sanskrit]]- Friend in need), are inscribed upon a scroll in [[Devnagari]].<ref name=IAF/>

==History==
===1962 Sino Indian War===
No 109 HU had been thrust into action right from the moment of its birth when, in 1962, the [[Sino-Indian War]] Broke out. The unit maintained a two aircraft detachment under the [[Eastern Air Command (India)|Eastern Air Command]], which served extensively in [[CASEVAC]] and [[Tactical airlift|logistics]] missions in and around the [[Spiti Valley]].<ref name=IAF/> in face of extremes of conditions and harshest of terrains.

Following the war, 109 was deployed in a number of different roles, from supporting the Border Roads Development Organisation, in the [[North East India]], to flying in support of disaster relief following the Jagadhri floods in [[Uttar Pradesh]] in 1963.

The military role of 109, however, again came into calling when riots broke out in [[Srinagar]] in January 1964, preluding to the [[1965 War|Second Kashmir War]].No 109 HU was heavily involved in the tactical airlift of [[Indian Army|troops and security personnel]] into the sensitive areas in the valley, and was also heavily involved in reconnaissance and patrol missions.<ref name=IAF/>

===Assignments===
*[[Sino-Indian War]]
*[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Second Kashmir War]]
*[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|Liberation of Bangladesh, 1971]]
*[[Siachen conflict|Siachen]]
*[[Bhopal Disaster|Bhopal Disaster relief]]
*[[Jaffna University Helidrop|IPKF, Jaffna Helidrop]]
*[[Operation Pawan|IPKF Jaffna Operations]]
*[[2015 South Indian floods]]
*[[Aero India]]
*[[Iron Fist (exercise)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Indian Air Force}}

[[Category:Indian Air Force aircraft squadrons|109]]
[[Category:Helicopter units and formations]]
[[Category:1961 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1961]]