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No. 1 Squadron IAF

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No. 1 Squadron
Active
  • 1 April 1933 – May 1947
  • February 1953 – Present
RoleAir superiority
Interdiction
BaseAFS Gwalior
Nickname(s)Tigers
Motto(s)Ekta Mein Shakti
(Hindi: "Strength in Unity")
EngagementsHur's Operations NWFP
Burma Campaign
Operation Polo
Western Air War, 1965
Liberation War, 1971
Kargil War, 1999, Operation Parakram
Commanders
Current
commander
Group Captain Hemant Kumar
Notable
commanders
Subroto Mukerjee
Arjan Singh
Dilbagh Singh
Insignia
Identification
symbol
A Royal Bengal Tiger
Aircraft flown
FighterDassault Mirage 2000

No. 1 Squadron (The Tigers), the oldest squadron of the Indian Air Force operates as a multirole (air superiority and electronic warfare) unit. Part of 40 Wing of the Indian Air Force under Central Air Command, it is based at Maharajpur in Gwalior.[1]

History

[edit]

The squadron was established at Drigh Road, Karachi on 1 April 1933, with four Westland Wapitis and five pilots: the sixth was deemed too short.[1][2][3] The pilots included Subroto Mukerjee.[2]

The squadron successfully test fired a BVR MICA missile from a Mirage-2000 aircraft on 24 September 2016.[4]

Aircraft

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Aircraft From To Air Base
Pre-Independence (1933–47)
Westland Wapiti IIA May 1933 October 1941 Karachi[5][6]
Hawker Audax September 1939 December 1941 Peshawar
Harvard IIB October 1945 September 1947
Westland Lysander September 1941 July 1942
Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 October 1942 May 1943 Trichy
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIB May 1943 August 1944
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIC July 1944 May 1946 Imphal
Harvard IIB October 1945 May 1947 Peshawar
Spitfire VIII December 1945 May 1947
Post-Independence (1953–Present)
Spitfire XVIII February 1953 September 1953 AFS Halwara
Vampire FB52 March 1953 March 1957 AFS Palam
Dassault Mystère IVa July 1957 1963 AFS Kalaikunda
1963 June 1966 AFS Adampur
MiG-21 FL July 1966 February 1986
Dassault Mirage 2000 February 1986 Present AFS Gwalior

Commemorative Postal Stamp

[edit]

Commemorative stamp was released by India Post in 1993.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Singh, Pushpindar. "No.1 Squadron". Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Home". www.oldcranwellians.info. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  3. ^ "The Royal Indian Air Force, 1932 – 1947". RAF Museum. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  4. ^ "MICA Missile Firing by 'TIGER' Squadron of IAF". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  5. ^ "No.1 Squadron Winged Daggers". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  6. ^ Singh, Pushpinder (14 June 2017). "No.1 Squadron". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 21 June 2021.