The unit took part in 'Op Fort William' in Bhutan, during December 2003. On 15 Dec 2003, Sqn Ldr Mishra was tasked to evacuate critically injured Royal Bhutanese Army jawans in the operation against terrorists.

Sqn Ldr Mishra, gauging correctly the urgency and gravity of the situation, acted in a swift and professional manner. He planned and executed the casualty evacuation himself within fifteen minutes of the receipt of the message. Unmindful of the risk involved, he undertook the sortie in hostile terrain and under small arms fire of the militia. His prompt and timely action not only saved the lives of seven critically injured soldiers from Nanglam helipad in Bhutan but also boosted the morale of the soldiers of a friendly country. The professionalism and courage displayed by Sqn Ldr Mishra has enhanced the image of the Indian Air Force.

For displaying courage in hostile conditions, the Hon`ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Shashi Kant Mishra.

Squadron Leader Upadhyay displayed exceptional skill, courage and leadership in ensuring the successful conduct of the missions. He led his team from the front and carried out the first landing at the crash site unmindful of the hazardous weather, inhospitable terrain, intense cold at the dizzying heights of more than thirteen thousand feet on an unprepared snow covered and undulating hill slope.

He carried out 18 gruelling missions in the face of inclement weather. It was due to his exemplary courage, skill and expertise in managing his men and machines that he was able to locate and land at the crash site, induct the ground rescue parties and evacuate the evidence and mortal remains of the Jaguar pilots. Under his guidance the team carried out total 36 missions, flying for a total of 21.45 hrs ensuring successful completion of the rescue mission against the adverse conditions of weather and hazardous terrain.

For this act of exceptional courage and exemplary leadership in the face of adverse and inhospitable environment, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu. Sena Medal' (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Avaneesh Kumar Upadhyay.

A Qualified Flying Instructor with over 4500 hours of flying experience, the officer has consistently displayed a penchant for leading from the front. Since the squadron's induction to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he has flown over 290 hours and has time and again exhibited willingness for undertaking difficult tasks, when called upon to do so. In the initial phase of the Contingent's induction, he personally reconnoitred the area, selecting helipads for future operations. Most of these helipads were in areas never hitherto visited by UN forces and were controlled by various rebel groups, some inimical to the UN. He also actively participated in Operation Dhanush in May-June 04.

On 29 May 04, following the unrest in the town of Bukavu, Kelehe, a small hamlet on the road from Goma to Bukam was the scene of an ambush laid out by militia in which they killed one UN military observer while another, a lady officer was reported missing. Sqn Ldr Chaudhary was tasked to insert troops to search for the missing military observer. While the Mi-25s fired some rockets to sanitise the area, the Mi-17, captained by Sqn Ldr Chaudhary landed the search party comprising 36 troops, in two shuttles. With little regard to personal safety, the officer landed at the site, which the rebels, armed with rocket propelled grenades and other heavy calibre weapons, could have targeted from a vantage point close by. Had it not been for the search party being inserted in time, the marooned officer would not have been rescued. The missing lady officer was subsequently rescued, albeit badly injured and in a state of shock. In the glorious traditions of the Indian Air Force, the officer planned the mission meticulously and carried it out with the elan and professionalism. that epitomizes the officer's approach to his duty.

For consistently exhibiting courage in hostile environment, the Hon'bie President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Manu Chaudhary.

In Jan 02, ASTE was formally tasked to undertake flight testing of the Saras Light Transport Aircraft (LTA~ pro~ being indigenously designed and developed by National Aeronautics Laboratory (NAL). Sqn Ldr Venugopal, then a test flying instructor at AFTPS was specifically chosen to head the Saras test team on account of his flight test experience a project pilot for evaluating Executive Jets for the Air Force. This was an extremely challenging task as the Saras had a unique rear mounted pusher prop configuration and was the first indigenous LTA programme. With his maturity and personal involvement he was instrumental in finalisation of all the necessary documentation and coï·“ordination with Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) as the team leader. He was directly responsible for finalisation of cockpit man machine interface and safety audit of the aircraft and its systems. He was also instrumental in planning, review, approval and execution of the entire test programme. He oversaw the continuity training and preparation of the other crew members of the team for the demanding task of undertaking the first flight and further evaluation of Saras ac. His dedication and hard work were commended and lauded by all the senior functionaries of NAL and MCA.

On 29 May 04, the first Saras Prototype took off on its first flight. First flight of a prototype aircraft is always a high risk proposition. The lack of an engineering test simulator, made the execution of first flight even more challenging. Soon after take off, the crew experienced Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) and angle of attack indication failure, thereby losing vital flight information. Coupled to this, the aircraft experienced mild vibrations due to opening of the refuelling panel in flight. As the Captain of aircraft Sqn Ldr Venugopal maintained his cool and rose to the challenge of having to deal with a serious emergency on a prototype aircraft on its first flight. He exhibited exceptional professionalism and courage in handling the emergency and recovering the aircraft safely.

For displaying professionalism and courage, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Kolal Krishnamurthy Venugopal.

Between 02 Apr 04 to 05 Apr 04 Squadron Leader Randhir Singh was entrusted with the task of Search and Rescue (SAR) of two missing IAF Jaguar Fighter aircrafts in Sonamarg sector of J & K. In the shortest time, he reached the expected location and commenced his SAR operations. Gauging the hazardous weather at the location in his Cheetah SAR helicopter vis-a-vis the gravity of the mission, he discounted the risks involved. Even in the inclement weather, intense cold and dizzying heights, he undertook twenty-six missions involving more than eighteen hours of flying. It was only due to his expertise, unflinching courage and determination that he succeeded in locating the crash site and carrying out landings at an un-prepared snow-covered and undulating hill slope at more than thirteen thousand feet Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL).

Utterly unmindful of his personal safety and persisting on with his courageous efforts he kept the success of the mission paramount, while retrieving the mortal remains of the pilots along with other circumstantial evidence, from an extremely hazardous crash site.

For this act of exceptional courage, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal' (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Randhir Singh.