Surya Kiran
| Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) | |
|---|---|
SKAT Patch
|
|
| Active | 27 May 1996 - 30 June 2011, 15 Feb 2015 onwards |
| Country |
 India
|
| Branch |
 Indian Air Force
|
| Role | Aerobatic display |
| Size | 20 Aircraft/ 14 Pilots |
| Part of | 52nd Squadron, IAF ("The Sharks") |
| Garrison/HQ | Bidar Air Force Station |
| Motto(s) | सदैव सर्वोत्तम - Sadaiva Sarvōttama (Sanskrit: "Always the Best") |
| Colors | day-glo orange and white. |
| Decorations | Chief of Air Staff Unit Citation |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Trainer |
|
Surya Kiran ("Rays of the Sun") is an aerobatics demonstration team of the Indian Air Force. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996 to serve as the "Ambassadors of the Indian Air Force" and to "showcase the professionalism, the caliber and the mettle of the Indian Air Force". In May 1996, Wg Cdr Kuldeep Malik, and his team was given the task to form a formation aerobatic team. The team has since performed numerous demonstrations in various parts of the country and abroad, and was amongst the renowned nine-aircraft public display aerobatic teams in the world. The squadron was primarily composed of the HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 military trainer aircraft and are based at the Bidar Air Force Station in Karnataka. The team was suspended in February 2011 due to shortage of basic jet trainers in IAF after grounding of HPT-32 trainers. Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said that Surya Kiran will upgrade to the BAE Hawk in 2015. The team has thereafter resurrected with six Hawk Mk 132 aircraft with their maiden display at AFS Hindan on 08 Oct 2015. The team after initial successes is now expanding to six ac with the final aim being to re-establish a nine ac team.
Formation aerobatics is not new to the IAF. As early as 1944, the IAF had a display flight and later a few ad hoc teams carried out aerobatic displays on special occasions such as the Air Force Day parade and firepower demonstrations.
During the golden jubilee year of the IAF in 1982, handpicked fighter pilots from various squadrons formed an aerobatic team for the IAF called ‘The Thunderbolts’. Flying blue and white Hunter fighter bomber, this team captivated audiences for about a decade and it gave its last public display in 1989.
The experience gained from the Thunderbolts was put to good use by a four-aircraft team called the Formation Aerobatic Team, set up in Bidar in 1990 on Kiran-II trainers. Though the team did not give any public displays, it ensured that formation aerobatic skills were maintained in the IAF.
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Wikipedia