| No. 129 Helicopter Unit | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 July 1987 - Present |
| Country |  Republic of India |
| Branch |  Indian Air Force |
| Role | Logistical support, airlift |
| Size | Helicopter unit |
| Garrison/HQ | Hindon Air Force Station |
| Nickname(s) | "Nubra Warriors" |
| Motto(s) | Never Give in |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | Mil Mi-17 |
No. 129 Helicopter Unit (Nubra Warriors) is a helicopter unit equipped with Mil Mi-17s and based at Hindon Air Force Station. [1]
The sanction for the formation of the 129 Helicopter Unit was accorded in March 1987. Accordingly, the unit was raised at Hindon Air Force Station in July 1987.
The unit when formed was assigned with various op and peacetime roles which included special heliborne operations, VVIP/VIP communication, courier flights for HP government and flies past on ceremonial occasions like Republic Day, Independence Day, and ir Force Day etc. they have the exclusive honour of colour trooping the National Flag on all these occasions. [2]
The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force and its successors, along with 48 other nations.
An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament they are sometimes called helicopter gunships.
The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. It is now produced by Russia. In addition to its most common role as a transport helicopter, the Mi-8 is also used as an airborne command post, armed gunship, and reconnaissance platform.
Sarang is the helicopter air display team of the Indian Air Force that flies four modified HAL Dhruv helicopters, also known as Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). The team was formed in October 2003 and their first performance was at the Asian Aerospace show, Singapore, in 2004. The name Sarang is symbolic; the peacock is the national bird of India. The unit was inducted as No. 151 Helicopter Unit in 2005 and was shifted from Yelahanka AFS, Bangalore to Sulur AFS, Coimbatore in 2009.
Operation Safed Sagar was the code name assigned to the Indian Air Force's role in acting jointly with the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil war that was aimed at flushing out regular and irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from vacated Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control. It was the first large scale use of Airpower in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
The 129th Rescue Wing is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Moffett Federal Airfield in Sunnyvale, California. The wing is equipped with the HC-130J Combat King II and the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter. If activated to federal service, the wing is assigned to the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC).
The No.3 Squadron (Cobras) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) operates as a Close Air Support (CAS) and reconnaissance unit. Currently based at Pathankot Air Force Station, No. 3 Sqn falls under the Western Air Command, and alongside the No. 26 Sqn (Warriors), No. 104HU and No.125HU (Gladiators), forms the 18 wing of the IAF.
The Myanmar Air Force, known until 1989 as the Burmese Air Force, is the aerial branch of Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception has been to provide transport, logistical, and close air support to the Myanmar Army in counter-insurgency operations. It is mainly used in internal conflicts in Myanmar, and, on a smaller scale, in relief missions, especially after the deadly Cyclone Nargis of May 2008. Since the military coup in February 2021, Myanmar Air Force aircraft have been used in airstrikes on villages.
The Western Air Command (WAC) is the regional command of Indian Air Force headquartered in New Delhi. It is the largest and most important Air Command of the IAF, comprising sixteen Air Force Bases (AFBs), and is responsible for aerial defence of North India.
The Central Air Command is one of the five operational commands of the Indian Air Force. It is currently headquartered in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. It was formed on 19 March 1962, at Rani Kuthee, Calcutta.
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 55 square kilometres (21 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).
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.
Operation Rahat was the name given to the Indian Air Force's rescue operations to evacuate civilians affected by the 2013 North India floods. Thousands of pilgrims in transit in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh were stranded in various valleys. It was one of the largest operations of the Indian Armed Forces in several decades. and IAF claims it to be the biggest civilian rescue operation in the world carried out by any air force using helicopters. During the first phase of the operation From 17 June 2013, the IAF airlifted a total of 19,600 people - flying a total of 2,140 sorties and dropping/landing a total of 3,82,400 kg of relief material and equipment. Air Vice Marshal (then) SRK Nair was the IAF coordinator on ground at Uttarakhand.
No. 47 Squadron is a fighter squadron and is equipped with MiG-29UPG and based at Adampur 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. 119 Helicopter Unit (Stallions) is a Helicopter Unit and is equipped with Mil Mi-17 and based at Jamnagar Air Force Station.
No. 127 Helicopter Unit is a Helicopter Unit and is equipped with Mil Mi-17 and based at Mohanbari AFS.
No. 128 Helicopter Unit is a Helicopter Unit and is equipped with Mil Mi-17 and based at Mohanbari Air Force Station.
No. 152 Helicopter Unit is a helicopter unit equipped with the Mil Mi-17 and based at Sarsawa Air Force Station.
No. 153 Helicopter Unit is a Helicopter Unit and is equipped with Mil Mi-17 and based at Udhampur Air Force Station.
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