India - Air Force British Aerospace Hawk 132 A3674

Photographer's remark
(17.3.2023, 11:21 CET)
Surya Kiran (Hindi for Rays of the Sun) is an aerobatics demonstration team of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996 and are a part of the 52nd Squadron of the IAF. The team has since performed numerous aerial demonstrations. The squadron was composed of the HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 military trainer aircraft till 2011 and were based at the Bidar Air Force Station in Karnataka. The team was suspended in February 2011, because the Air Force faced a severe shortage of training aircraft. In Feb 2015, the Surya Kirans were resurrected as a four-aircraft team with the induction of the British Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer Mk-132, being assembled in India by the state-run HAL. The team achieved its target of performing four-aircraft, six-aircraft, and nine-aircraft maiden displays for Air Force Day in 2015, 2016, and 2017 respectively. The Surya Kirans are favorites among Indian Military Aviation Photographers and they never fail to amaze the spectators with their amazingly coordinated aerial display. The SKATs are seen here performing on the Day 2 Aero India 2023 Air show at Yelahanka AFS.

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