No. 220 Squadron IAF

Last updated

No. 220 Squadron
No. 220 Squadron IAF Logo.jpg
Active
  • 23 December 1957 — July 2005
  • 1 September 2011 — Present
Country Flag of India.svg Republic of India
BranchAir Force Ensign of India (2023).svg  Indian Air Force
Role Close Air Support
Air Defence
Garrison/HQ Halwara AFS
Nickname(s)"Desert Tigers"
Motto(s)Shauryam Tejo Dhritih
Valour, Energy and Firmness

No. 220 Squadron (Desert Tigers) is a fighter squadron and is equipped with Su-30 MKIs and based at Halwara Air Force Station. [1]

Contents

History

From its birth until just short of the Indo-Pak war of 1965, the role of the squadron was Operational Conversion onto Vampire aircraft of the freshly commissioned pilots. The squadron, later re-equipped with the Indigenous HF-24 Marut in April 1969 and flew the Marut in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. In June 1981, the squadron converted onto the MiG-23BN., [2] It was raised at IAF Station Jodhpur and in year 1997 It moved to IAF Station Halwara.

IAF had disbanded the 220 Squadron in June 2005 because of very old aircraft, but resurrected that with the induction of the SU 30 MKIs on 25 September 2012. [3] They received the President's standards at Halwara AFS on 20 September 2013. [4]

Assignments

Aircraft

Aircraft Types operated by 220 Squadron [5] [6]
Aircraft TypeFromToAir Base
de Havilland Vampire FB.52 9 January 19631 May 2006 AFS Palam
HF-24 Marut April 1969June 1981
MiG-23 BN June 19811997
1997July 2005 AFS Halwara
Su-30 MKI 1 September 2011Present

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HAL HF-24 Marut</span> 1961 fighter aircraft family by Hindustan Aircraft Limited

The HAL HF-24 Marut was an Indian jet fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) during the 1960s and early 70s. The Marut was designed by the German aeronautical engineer Kurt Tank, with the Project Engineer being George William Benjamin. The aircraft was the first Indian-developed jet fighter and the first in Asia, outside the Soviet Union, to go beyond the test phase and into serial production and active service. On 17 June 1961, the type conducted its maiden flight; on 1 April 1967, the first production Marut was officially delivered to the IAF.

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No. 221 Squadron (Valiants) is an Indian Air Force fighter squadron and is equipped with Su-30MKI and based at Halwara Air Force Station.

References

  1. "Squadrons and Helicopter Units". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  2. Pike, John. "Squadron 220". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  3. "No.220 Squadron, Indian Air Force - Database". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  4. "No.220 Squadron - Presentation of the Presidents Standards". Bhaat-rakshak.com=. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  5. "No.220 Squadron Desert Tigers" . Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  6. "Presidential standards awarded to IAF Units". New Indian Express. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2022.