No. 52 Squadron IAF: Difference between revisions

52 Squadron 'The Sharks'
52 Squadron 'The Sharks'
	Error creating thumbnail: File missing "The crest of the No. 52 Squadron"
Active	1 January 1986 – July 2005; 1 May 2006 – 30 June 2011; February 2015 – Present;
Country	India
Branch	Error creating thumbnail: File missing Indian Air Force
Role	Aerobatic Display Team
Size	9 Aircraft / 13 Pilots
Garrison/HQ	Bidar Air Force Station
Motto(s)	सदैव सर्वोत्तम (Sanskrit:Sadaiva Sarvottam, English:Always the Best)
Aircraft flown
Trainer	BAE Systems Hawk

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Latest revision as of 04:02, 16 July 2022

No. 52 Squadron is an aerobatic squadron of the Indian Air Force. It was established in January 1986. It is presently based at Bidar Air Force Station. It is popularly known as the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT). SKAT performs across the country, and has performed in China, the UK, Germany, Laos and Sri Lanka. The Surya Kirans were among the top three nine-aircraft aerobatics teams in the world, along with the British Red Arrows and the Canadian Snowbirds.^[2] The Squadron motto is "Sadaiv Sarvottam", which translates as "Always the Best".^[3] For its consistent performance since 1996, the Suryakiran was awarded Chief of the Air Staff's Unit Citation on 8 October 2004. It is the first unit in the IAF to receive this award.^[3]

History[edit | edit source]

52 Squadron IAF was organized on 1 January 1986 at 16 Wing, Hashimara and equipped with MiG-21 FL aircraft. Its primary role was air defence, while its secondary role was ground attack. The Squadron moved to Bagdogra in January 1990. On 1 November 1996 the Squadron moved to 14 Wing at Chabua.^[4]

Formation aerobatics has been a part of IAF aviation history since it was established. The Surya Kiran (which means 'sunbeam' in Sanskrit) squadron was conceived in 1996 to serve as Ambassadors who would showcase the prowess of the Air Force's fighter pilots in precision aerobatic flying. The SKAT was a successor of the earlier display team, the 'Thunderbolts', who performed in the early 1980s.

Citing shortage of aircraft for training purposes, The IAF retired the Kirans soon after the 2011 Aero India display and announced that the Indian aerobatics team would regroup on the BAE Systems’ Hawk trainer aircraft.

Aircraft[edit | edit source]


Aircraft	From	To	Air Base
MiG-21 FL	1 January 1986	January 1990	AFS Hasimara^[1]
	January 1990	31 October 1996	AFS Bagdogra
	1 November 1996	June 2005	AFS Chabua
HJT-16 Kiran Mk II	1 May 2006	30 June 2011
BAE Hawk Mk.132	February 2015	Present	AFS Bidar^[5]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Suryakiran Aerobatic Team.

References[edit | edit source]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 "No.52 Squadron Sharks". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
↑ "Indian skies, foreign thrills at Aero India". Deccan Chronicle. 23 January 2013.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 "AEROBATICS Flying colours of courage". The Tribune. 31 March 2007.
↑ "Squadron 52 "Sharks"". Global Security. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
↑ "Suryakiran: Flying formation that dazzles the skies with loops, rolls and dives". Tribune India. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

This article about a specific Indian military unit is a stub. You can help Bharatpedia by expanding it.

[52sqn-1] 1.0 ^1.1 "No.52 Squadron Sharks". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

[2] "Indian skies, foreign thrills at Aero India". Deccan Chronicle. 23 January 2013.

[tt-3] 3.0 ^3.1 "AEROBATICS Flying colours of courage". The Tribune. 31 March 2007.

[4] "Squadron 52 "Sharks"". Global Security. Retrieved 9 March 2015.

[5] "Suryakiran: Flying formation that dazzles the skies with loops, rolls and dives". Tribune India. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

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@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 | native_name =
 | image = FAIR USE - 52 Squadron IAF, The Sharks - Air Force Station Bidar.jpg
+| image_size = 150px
 | alt =
 | caption = "The crest of the No. 52 Squadron"
-| dates =
+| dates = *1 January 1986 – July 2005<ref name="52sqn"/>
-| start_date = 1 May 1996
+*1 May 2006 – 30 June 2011
-| end_date = 30 June 2011
+*February 2015 – Present
+| start_date =
+| end_date =
 | country = {{Flag|India}}
 | countries =
@@ Line 94: / Line 97: @@
 ==History==
-[[File:No. 52 Squadron IAF, Surya Kiran, Air Force Station Bidar.jpg|The nine-aircraft Suryakiran aerobatic team in Kiran jet trainers|thumb|right]]
-Squadron IAF was organized on 1 January 1986 at 16 Wing, Hashimara and equipped with [[T-77]] {{what|reason=Not a known aircraft type, needs clarification|date=March 2019}} aircraft. Its primary role was [[air defence]], while its secondary role was [[ground attack]].  The Squadron moved to Bagdogra on January 1990. On 1 November 1996 the Squadron moved to 14 Wing at Chabua.<ref>{{cite web|title=Squadron 52 "Sharks"|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/sqn-52.htm|website=Global Security|access-date=9 March 2015}}</ref>
+Squadron IAF was organized on 1 January 1986 at 16 Wing, Hashimara and equipped with [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21 FL]] aircraft. Its primary role was [[air defence]], while its secondary role was [[ground attack]].  The Squadron moved to Bagdogra in January 1990. On 1 November 1996 the Squadron moved to 14 Wing at Chabua.<ref>{{cite web|title=Squadron 52 "Sharks"|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/sqn-52.htm|website=Global Security|access-date=9 March 2015}}</ref>
 Formation aerobatics has been a part of IAF aviation history since it was established. The Surya Kiran (which means 'sunbeam' in [[Sanskrit]]) squadron was conceived in 1996 to serve as Ambassadors who would showcase the prowess of the Air Force's fighter pilots in precision aerobatic flying. The SKAT was a successor of the earlier display team, the 'Thunderbolts', who performed in the early 1980s.
 Citing shortage of aircraft for training purposes, The IAF retired the Kirans soon after the 2011 [[Aero India]] display and announced that the Indian aerobatics team would regroup on the BAE Systems’ Hawk trainer aircraft.
+==Aircraft==
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+
+! Aircraft !! From !! To !! Air Base
+|-
+| rowspan='3'|[[MiG-21|MiG-21 FL]] || 1 January 1986 || January 1990  ||[[Hasimara Air Force Station|AFS Hasimara]]<ref name="52sqn">{{cite web|url=https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Units/52+Sqn|title=No.52 Squadron  Sharks|publisher=Bharat Rakshak|access-date=2022-01-02}}</ref>
+|-
+| January 1990|| 31 October 1996 || [[Bagdogra Airport|AFS Bagdogra]]
+|-
+| 1 November 1996 || June 2005 || [[Chabua Air Force Station|AFS Chabua]]
+|-
+| [[HAL HJT-16 Kiran|HJT-16 Kiran Mk II]] || 1 May 2006 || 30 June 2011 ||
+|-
+| [[BAE Systems Hawk|BAE Hawk Mk.132]] || February 2015 || Present || [[Bidar Air Force Station|AFS Bidar]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/suryakiran-flying-formation-that-dazzles-the-skies-with-loops-rolls-and-dives-314685|title=Suryakiran: Flying formation that dazzles the skies with loops, rolls and dives|publisher=Tribune India|date=2021-09-22|access-date=2022-01-02}}</ref>
+|}
+==Gallery==
+{{Gallery
+|title=
+|width=160 | height=170
+|File:Suryakiran3 IAF.jpg
+ |Suryakiran Aerobatic Team.
+}}
 ==References==
 {{Reflist|30em}}
-{{Indian Air Force squadrons}}
+{{Indian Air Force}}
 [[Category:Aerobatic teams]]
 [[Category:Bidar]]
 [[Category:Indian Air Force aircraft squadrons|052]]
+[[Category:Indian ceremonial units]]
-{{India-mil-stub}}
+{{India-mil-unit-stub}}

52 Squadron 'The Sharks'
Error creating thumbnail: File missing "The crest of the No. 52 Squadron"
Active	1 January 1986 – July 2005^[1] 1 May 2006 – 30 June 2011 February 2015 – Present
Country	India
Branch	Error creating thumbnail: File missing Indian Air Force
Role	Aerobatic Display Team
Size	9 Aircraft / 13 Pilots
Garrison/HQ	Bidar Air Force Station
Motto(s)	सदैव सर्वोत्तम (Sanskrit:Sadaiva Sarvottam, English:Always the Best)
Aircraft flown
Trainer	BAE Systems Hawk