Group Captain V S Sharma 14490 ADM (Retd) was the Fighter Controller at Naliya on 10th August 1999. This is his story of the eventful day that resulted in the first air to air interception and shoot down in over 28 years.
Air Marshal Vinod Kumar "Jimmy" Bhatia, PVSM AVSM VrC Bar , 6497 F(P) was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief during the Kargil conflict. A veteran of two wars against Pakistan - he was one of the few senior ranking officers to fly operational missions during the Kargil Conflict in 1999. This is his story of how Central Air Command utilized the MiG-25 Foxbat in a photo recce role at a profile for which the aircraft was not designed for.
This is an account of the operations at 14 C&MU Jaisalmer. The IAF's victory at Longewala was achieved from Jaisalmer Air Force Base during the 1971 War under the leadership of then Wg Cdr M S Bawa (4494) F(P). This article provides a "War Diary" style narration of the day by day events as they unfolded.
The recent air strikes on Balakot and the subsequent air battle near Naushera will be fodder for discussions for years to come. Lost in the hyperbole of claims and counter-claims on both sides are some glaring issues on which questions should be asked. And the lessons should be recorded for future conficts. Air Marshal Harish Masand shares his thoughts on various aspects of the recent events.
A program update on the LCA
AVM Manmohan Bahadur writes about a recovery operation at 19,500 feet that saved a valuable Cheetah helicopter of No.114 Helicopter Unit.
In this short piece, Air Vice Marshal C V Parker MVC VM (4346 F(P)) narrates the last mission of his squadron - No.20 "Lightnings" - that could not beat the ceasefire clock!
Air Cmde PD 'Jeya' Jeyasingh 10923 F(N) passed away at 2330 hrs on 18 Oct 2018 at the Command Hospital Air Force Bangalore. He was admitted on 05 October after being diagnosed with pneumonia and other complications. He was veteran of the 1971 war, who flew on bombing sorties with the Canberra bombers. He was also known as an old comrade who refuses to let the nation forget about his comrades. K S Nair writes about the annual commemoration that Air Commodore Jeyasingh started - and which continues today even in his absence.
Coming on the heels of our recent update - Ejected over no-man's land - Maj Gen Syed Ali Hamid of the Pakistan Army shared his experience coming across the wreckage of the Sukhoi 7 B907 - He had procured several photographs of the wreckage that are shared on this page.
Gp Capt Gurdeep Singh Samra 8695 F(P) was a young Flight Lieutenant with No.101 Squadron operating from Adampur. He narrates the harrowing tale of ejecting over No-Mans land in the Chamb sector - and enduring severe injuries. He would later be rescued by Indian Army troops and underwent a full recovery back to flying fit status for a fruitful and rewarding career in the IAF.
Landing a jet fighter on its belly is not a task for the faint hearted. This is the story of one young pilot who walked away from one - and the story of an aircraft that refused to go to the scrapyard.