President Droupadi Murmu on March 8 presented the President’s Standard’s to two fighters squadrons of IAF and President’s Colours to two formations at Hindon Air Force station. This is the first time in the history of the service that four units have been awarded the President’s Standard and Colours together in a single ceremony.
These include No. 45 ‘Flying Daggers’, the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) squadron of the IAF, No. 221 Squadron ‘Valiants’ which flew almost one-third of all offensive missions of the IAF during the 1999 Kargil conflict will be at President’s Standard while the 11 Base Repair Depot (BRD) and 509 Signal Unit (SU) will be presented President’s Colours.
The award of the President’s Standard and Colours is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon any military unit, the IAF said in a statement. On arrival, the President was presented with an aerial salute by three Mi-171V helicopters in ‘Dhwaj’ formation trooping the National flag and the ceremonial parade was commanded by Group Captain K. S. Sanu Nair of 11 BRD.
First Day covers for 45 Squadron, 221 Squadron, 11 Base Repair Depot and 509 Signal Unit were released by Ms. Murmu during the ceremony.
The President’s Standard were received by Group Captain M Surendran, Commanding Officer of 45 Squadron and Group Captain Shubhankan, Commanding Officer of 221 Squadron. The President’s Colours were received by Air Commodore Ashutosh Vaidya, Air Officer Commanding of 11 BRD and Group Captain Vivek Sharma, Commanding Officer of 509 SU during an impressive parade at Air Force Station Hindan, Ghaziabad.
Highlighting the courage, commitment and sacrifices of the IAF during war and peacetime operations, both within India and overseas, the President, in her address, also brought out the important contributions of the IAF in the ongoing space programmes of the country and the upcoming Gaganyaan mission.
Normally, President’s Standards and President’s Colours have been presented separately to Squadrons for the past 25 years of service.
The President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The occasion coincided with the International Women's Day.
Flying Daggers and Valiants
The 45 Squadron, also called the 'Flying Daggers', was raised in 1959. The squadron took part in 'Operation Vijay' for the liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule in 1960, the statement said.
In the 1971 India-Pakistan war, the unit was responsible for the air defence in the Punjab and Rajasthan sectors, flying 258 missions that were instrumental in safeguarding the forward air bases against enemy air attacks, it said.
The 221 squadron is known as the 'Valiants'. It was raised on February 14, 1963, in Barrackpore equipped with Vampire aircraft.
Barely two years after its formation, the squadron was pressed into action in the Eastern theatre during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, where it made commendable contributions, it said.
In August 1968, the squadron was one of the first to be re-equipped with the Su-7 supersonic attack fighter.
During the 1971 India-Pakistan War, operating in the eastern theatre, the squadron undertook extensive counter-air, close air support and photo reconnaissance missions.
The 11 Base Repair Depot is a premier and only fighter aircraft base repair depot of the IAF that was established under Maintenance Command in April 1974 at Ojhar, Nashik.
Su-7 was the first aircraft to be overhauled by the depot. In the subsequent years, variants of MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29 aircraft have been overhauled.
The 509 signal unit was established on March 1, 1965, and is presently functioning as an Air Defence Direction Centre in Meghalaya.
The watershed moments in the unit's history date back to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 wherein it emerged as the epicentre of all air defence activities over East Pakistan.
A defining moment came with the precision strike on the Governor's House in Dhaka, orchestrated from the operations room of the unit.
‘IAF guarding skies’
President Murmu said the Indian Air Force’s contribution to the nation’s service is etched in “golden letters” and it is not only guarding the skies but also making a paramount contribution to the country’s space programme.
In her address at a ceremony held at the Hindan Air Force Station to award President’s Standard and Colours to four units of the IAF, Ms. Murmu said she believed that more and more women will sign up for the force and serve the nation.
She also extended her wishes to women on International Women’s Day.
The IAF’s contribution to the nation’s service is etched in golden letters, she said.
“It is a matter of joy that the IAF is not only guarding our skies but also making a paramount contribution to India’s space programme,” the President said.
Besides guarding land, sea and air, today it’s also essential to protect cyberspace and labs, Ms. Murmu said.
In her address after the ceremony, the President said she was pleased to know that the IAF has been adopting modern technologies in the last few years.
(With PTI inputs)
