Surya Kiran

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Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT)
HAL Kiran Mk.2
  • 2015–present BAE Hawk Mk.132

    • Surya Kiran (transl. Rays of the Sun) is an

    HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 trainer aircraft. The team was suspended in February 2011 and was re-established with BAE Hawk Mk.132
    aircraft in 2015.

    History

    In the late 1940s, the Indian Air Force (IAF) had a display flight squadron which carried out aerobatic displays on special occasions. The team flew Hawker Hunter aircraft and was led by Marshal Arjan Singh. The team led a flypast of more than hundred aircraft on the occasion of India's Independence day in 1947.[3] During the golden jubilee year of the Indian Air Force in 1982, select fighter pilots from various squadrons were assigned to the No. 20 Squadron (Lightnings) to form an aerobatic team called The Thunderbolts. Flying nine blue and white colored Hunter aircraft, the team performed aerobatic displays till 1989.[4]

    HJT-16 Kiran aircraft
    from 1996 to 2011

    The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996 and was based at

    HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 trainer aircraft.[6] The team was formed under Wing Commander Kuldeep Malik who had been a member of the Thunderbolts on the eve of Aero India 1996, the first aerospace defense exhibition.[7] The team initially flew four aircraft before moving to six aircraft formation in May 1996.[8] The Surya Kiran team performed their first public display for the golden jubilee celebrations of Air Force Administrative College at Coimbatore on 15 September 1996.[8]

    In 1998, under the command of Wing Commander A. K. Murgai, the team expanded to a nine-aircraft formation which was displayed in public for the first time during the

    BAe Hawk trainer aircraft under the command of then Wing Commander Ajit Kulkarni.[8]

    Aircraft and organization

    The team uses BAE Systems Hawk Mk.132 aircraft since 2015

    The Surya Kiran team operated

    HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 trainer aircraft from 1996 to 2011. In October 2015, an agreement was signed for the purchase of twenty BAE Systems Hawk Mk.132 aircraft fitted with smoke canisters dedicated to the aerobatics display role.[9] The team has been utilizing the Hawk aircraft since 2015.[8] The aircraft are painted in bright "day-glo" orange and white colour scheme.[10] The inboard drop tanks of the aircraft are modified to carry color dye mixed with diesel fuel for generating colored smoke.[11]

    The team has 13 pilots on roster of which nine fly at any given time. The pilots undergo a selection process twice a year and are chosen to serve for a three-year period.[12] Besides the pilots, the team has a Flight Commander, an administrator and technical officers tasked with the maintenance and servicing of the aircraft.

    Commanders

    Commanders of the Surya Kiran Acrobatic Team
    Name with Rank Start End Designation Reference
    Wing Commander Kuldeep Malik 1 June 1996 30 March 1997 Team Leader [7]
    Wing Commander Anil Kumar Murgai 31 March 1997 30 May 1999 Team Leader [7]
    Wing Commander Amit Tiwari 31 May 1999 29 November 2001 Team Leader [7]
    30 November 2001 30 May 2002 Commanding Officer
    Wing Commander Sreekumar Prabhakaran 31 May 2002 30 June 2005 Commanding Officer [7]
    Wing Commander Sandeep Bansal 1 July 2005 30 March 2008 Commanding Officer [7]
    Wing Commander Joy Thomas Kurien 31 March 2008 30 June 2010 Commanding Officer [7]
    Wing Commander Ajit Kulkarni 15 February 2015 2018 Commanding Officer [8]
    Group Captain Prashant Grover 2018 19 July 2020 Commanding Officer [13]
    Group Captain Anoop Singh 20 July 2020 2 August 2022 Commanding Officer [14][13]
    Group Captain G S Dhillon 3 August 2022 Present Commanding Officer [14]

    Performance

    On an average, the team performs about 30 shows a year, and flies three sorties a day during the training season and two a day whilst on aerobatics display.[12] The modified planes use aerosols to create various flight designs and patterns.[15] The aircraft fly at speeds ranging from 150 km/h (93 mph) to 600 km/h (370 mph) and can reach speeds of up to 1,100 km/h (680 mph) while performing manoeuvres.[2][12] The maneuvers subject the pilots to alternating g-forces between +6 and –1.5.[12]

    The team generally flies a nine aircraft formation

    The Surya Kiran team performed their first public display with six aircraft for the golden jubilee celebrations of

    Sri Lankan Air Force in March 2001.[16] The team has performed over 500 displays in more than 72 cities across India. The team has performed at an altitude of 5,436 ft (1,657 m) in Srinagar and over the seas which is challenging due to the water affecting depth perception.[12]

    Aerosols mixed with dyes are used to produce colors

    The team has also performed in various countries like

    ICC Cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad.[6]

    Incidents

    See also

    References

    1. ^ "No.52 Squadron Sharks". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
    2. ^ a b "Surya Kiran's aerobatics leave spectators spellbound". The Times of India. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    3. ^ "Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Padma Vibhushan, DFC". Indian Air Force. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    4. ^ "Thunderbolts". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    5. ^ "IAF's Surya Kiran team performs" (Press release). Government of India. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    6. ^ a b "Aero India in Bengaluru: Surya Kiran to shine over today's final". New Indian Express. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    7. ^ a b c d e f g "Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    8. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Suryakiran: Flying formation that dazzles the skies with loops, rolls and dives". Tribune. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    9. ^ "For Surya Kiran aerobatics team, IAF set to purchase 20 Hawks". The Indian Express. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    10. ^ "Surya Kiran team" (PDF). Vayu Aerospace. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    11. ^ "Surya Kiran aerobatics team set to present 500th display". The Hindu. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    12. ^ a b c d e f "In A First, Indian Air Force To Grace The Skies During World Cup Final". NDTV. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    13. ^ a b @Suryakiran_IAF (20 July 2020). "Today Group Captain Prashant Grover hands over the baton to Group Captain Anoop Singh VM as the next Leader of the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    14. ^ a b @Suryakiran_IAF (3 August 2022). "Gp Capt GS Dhillon takes over as Team Leader, Suryakiran Aerobatic Team from Gp Capt Anoop Singh VM" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    15. ^ Desai, Rishikesh Bahadur (20 February 2015). "Will the original daredevils be back?". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
    16. ^ a b "Air Force Dare Devils to Fly Again After 4 Years". NDTV. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    17. ^ "India's Suryakirans Aerobatic Team To Perform At LIMA 2007". Bernama.com, Malaysian National News Agency. 27 November 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
    18. ^ "Celebrations Galore on the Auspicious occasion of His Majesty's 80th Birth Anniversary". Thaindian. 5 December 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
    19. ^ a b "IAFs Surya Kiran has had its share of accidents". Tribune. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    20. ^ "IAF aircraft crash-lands, pilot jumps out". The Hindu. 23 December 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    21. ^ "IAF plane crash: Two IAF Surya Kiran aircraft crash during practice at Aero India 2019 in Bangalore, one pilot dead". The Times of India. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
    22. ^ "Surya Kiran Aircraft Crash". Government of India. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.

    External links

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