No. 104 Helicopter Squadron, IAF

No. 104 Helicopter Squadron
Active	10 March 1954- Present
Country	Republic of India
Branch	Indian Air Force
Garrison/HQ	Suratgarh AFS
Nickname(s)	"Pioneer Rotarians"
Motto(s)	Apatsu Mitram A friend in time of need
Aircraft flown
Attack	Mil Mi-35

No. 104 Helicopter Squadron (Pioneer Rotarians) is a fighter squadron and is equipped with Mil Mi-35 and based at Suratgarh Air Force Station. ^[1]

History

The acquisition of Sikorsky S-55 in 1954 heralded the creation of the first Helicopter Flight within the IAF, and in 1958 become established as the first dedicated Helicopter Unit, No. 104 Helicopter Squadron. ^[2]

The IAF S-55s were later phased out in 1966 inducting other helicopter types into service, such as the Mil Mi-35 model in 1990. ^[3]

As of November 2022, the Mi-35s of the Squadron is undergoing complete overhauls in Russia in two batches. The first batch was already in Russia by then while the entire process is to be completed by mid-2023. Overhaul of each batch shall take 6-8 months. The overhaul would increase its service life by 6 years keeping them active beyond this decade. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Assignments

• Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
• 1971 JVP insurrection
• Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

Aircraft

Aircraft	From	To	Air Base
Sikorsky S-55	10 March 1954	March 1965	Palam AFS [7]
	March 1965	May 1967	Hindan AFS
	May 1967	N/A	Saharanpur AFS
HAL Chetak	N/A	N/A
Mil Mi-35	April 1990	April 1995	Bhatinda AFS
	May 1995	Present	Suratgarh AFS

References

1. "Squadrons and Helicopter Units". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
2. "Sikorsky S-55 : The First Helicopters of the Indian Air Force".
3. "Our Strength". Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
4. Peri, Dinakar (22 November 2022). "IAF Mi-35 attack helicopters undergoing overhaul, to add six years life". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 18 October 2024.
5. "IAF Mi-35 Attack Helicopters Undergoing Overhaul, To Add Six Years Life" . Retrieved 18 October 2024.
6. "IAF's Mi-35 attack helicopters undergoing overhaul in Russia - Defence & Aerospace Research Forum". 10 February 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
7. "No.104 Helicopter Squadron Firebirds". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 30 August 2022.