| No. 112 Helicopter Unit | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 August 1963 - Present |
| Country |  Republic of India |
| Branch |  Indian Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Yelahanka AFS |
| Nickname(s) | "Throughbreds" |
| Motto(s) | Apatsu Mitram A friend in time of need |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Mil Mi-17 |
No. 112 Helicopter Unit (Thoroughbreds) is a Helicopter Unit and is equipped with Mil Mi-17 based at Yelahanka AFS. [1]
112 Helicopter Unit, IAF is the alma-mater of all Medium Lift Helicopters, which has been training pilots, flight engineers and flight gunners for achieving highest professional standards.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the President’s Standard to 112 Helicopter Unit of Indian Air Force on 11 March 2014 at Kanpur. [2] 112 Helicopter Unit was the last flying unit of the IAF to host and retire the Mil Mi-8 helcopters from active duty.
One of the oldest IAF units, 112 Helicopter Unit serves a wartime role such as in Kargil war, Operation Pawan and Indo-Pakistani war of 1971; or supporting civil operations during cyclones, floods and VVIP movements.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India's aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal. After India gained independence from United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of the Dominion of India. With the transition to a republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.
The Mil Mi-17 is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production as of 2024 at two factories, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service. The helicopter is mostly used as a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter, as well as an armed gunship version.
East Pakistan Air Operations covers the activity of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Army Aviation units in former East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The operations involved the interdiction, air defense, ground support, and logistics missions flown by the Bangladesh Air Force, Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy Aviation wing in support of the Mukti Bahini and later Indian Army in Bengal.
Car Nicobar Air Force Station is located in IAF Camp village, on Car Nicobar Island in the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
Jodhpur Airport is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force base serving the city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and shares its airside with the Jodhpur Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force.
Thanjavur Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force base serving the city of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located 12 km (7.5 mi) south-west of the city in Pilaiyarpatti and near the village of Ravusapatti. The air force base was expected to start functioning by 2012. However, the schedule was delayed, and the air force base was inaugurated on 27 May 2013 by the then Minister of Defence, A. K. Antony.
Gorakhpur Airport is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force base serving the city of Gorakhpur, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) operates it as a civil enclave at the Air Force base. The airport is located 8 km (5.0 mi) from the city centre. The airport covers an area of 0.71 acres (0.29 ha). In June 2017, the passenger terminal was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath. It is the third busiest airport in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow International Airport and Varanasi International Airport in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft movements.
The Central Air Command is one of the five operational commands of the Indian Air Force. It is currently headquartered in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. It was formed on 19 March 1962, at Rani Kuthee, Calcutta.
The Army Aviation Corps (AAC) is the youngest arm of the Indian Army, being formally designated on 1 November 1986. The Army Aviation Corps units are designated as Squadrons. Each squadron generally consists of two Flights. Reconnaissance (Recce) and Observation flights might be part of squadrons or operate independently. The latter do not have a parent squadron and are designated by an (I) in their name.
Air Force Station Hindon is an Indian Air Force base under the Western Air Command (WAC). It is the biggest and largest air base in Asia. Its area measured 14 km rounded and 10.25 square kilometres (3.96 sq mi). This base celebrates Air Force Day on 8 October. It is located near Loni Ghaziabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh in the National Capital Region on the outskirts of Delhi, close to the Hindon River. Starting 2006, the annual Air Force Day Parade venue was shifted from Palam Airport to Hindon. There is one runway, aligned east–west (09-27), of 9,000 feet (2,700 m) length x 150 feet (46 m) width. The military airbase serves as the home of the IAF C-17 Globemaster and the IAF C-130J Super Hercules, the backbone of Strategic Heavy Air Lift division of the Indian Air Force. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) operates a civil enclave at Hindon as part of the government's Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).
The Indian Air Force Test Pilot School is a unit of the Indian Air Force (IAF) that evaluates aircraft and systems for induction into user organisations. Most new aircraft types and major airborne systems must have ASTE's stamp of approval to be considered fit for service in India. While many countries have testing facilities of one kind or the other, training of flight test personnel is not often imparted in them. ASTE's Air Force Test Pilots School (AFTPS) is only the fifth such institution in the world.
Sulur Air Force Station is an air base of the Indian Air Force located at Sulur near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and is India's second largest air base after Hindon AFS. It is the base which is responsible for protection of India's sea area. It is the only base in India which handles both fighter and transport flights at one location; no other base in India is equipped to do so. It is also the only IAF base in India to have all Departments at one location: fighters, carrier planes, carrier helicopters, attack helicopters, a repair and overhauling depot, TETTRA school, Garud Force, Air Force Hospital, Southern Command Sub Headquarters, & ECHS. It is a former Royal Navy and Indian Navy base.
No. 26 Squadron IAF (Warriors) is the Ground Attack and Close Air Support unit of the Indian Air Force, operating from Pathankot Air Force Station under India's Western Air Command. The squadron was number plated on an unspecified date.
The Air Headquarters Communication Squadron (Pegasus)(AHQCS) of the Indian Air Force is based at Air Force Station Palam, New Delhi. It is a transport squadron which maintains a fleet of aircraft with the primary aim of providing air transport to the President, Vice President and Prime Minister of India, within and outside the country, and to visiting foreign heads of State, categorized as VVIPs.
No. 104 Helicopter Squadron is a fighter squadron and is equipped with Mil Mi-35 and based at Suratgarh Air Force Station.
No. 126 Helicopter Flight (Featherweights) is a helicopter squadron and is equipped with Mil Mi-26 and based at Chandigarh Air Force Station. It received the first four Boeing CH-47 Chinook in service on 25 March 2019.
No. 110 Helicopter Unit (Vanguards) is a Helicopter Unit and is equipped with Mil Mi-17 and based at Kumbhirgram Air Force Station.
No. 111 Helicopter Unit is a Helicopter Unit and is equipped with HAL Dhruv MKIII and based at Bareilly Air Force Station.
No. 116 Helicopter Unit (Tankbusters) is a Helicopter Unit that is equipped with HAL Rudra and the HAL Chetak, and based at Jodhpur Air Force Station.
On 8 December 2021, a Mil Mi-17V-5 transport helicopter operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed between Coimbatore and Wellington in the state of Tamil Nadu, after departing from Sulur Air Force Station. The helicopter was carrying Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 13 others, including his wife and staff. Everyone on board was killed in the immediate aftermath, except Group Captain Varun Singh, who died from his injuries at a hospital a week later.
| Leadership | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Components & commands |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military academies |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History & future | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
