The Indian Air Force’s aerobatic display team ‘Suryakiran’, which has memerised people across the country with their excellent manoeuvres, has completed 25 years. The team has conducted over 600 displays across the country and is the only display team with nine aircraft in Asia.
“In March, the team flew a very special ‘75’ formation with 17 aircraft to commence the 75th Independence Day celebrations. The event was 75 weeks to go for the 75th Independence Day,” one of the team members said. The team is also performing across the country to commemorate the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, he stated. The team currently has 13 pilots and is led by Group Captain Anoop Singh.
All the pilots of the Suryakiran team are qualified flying instructors and belong to the fighter stream of the IAF selected through a rigorous selection process at a ratio usually around 1:10.
“The Suryakiran team firmly believes in excite the ordinary, impress the knowledgeable, and frighten no one,” said Wing Commander Venu Nambisan (retd.), a former AN-32 navigator and Suryakiran team administrator.
The team has been the brand ambassador of the IAF and it forms the 52 Squadron of the IAF and is the youngest fighter squadron with the motto “Always the Best”.
