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IAF's Suryakiran team brings Hawk jets to Mysuru Dasara skies

The nine-aircraft aerobatic team is flying over Bannimantap Grounds for the festival, a display arranged after Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

From the editorial desk · MysuruPublished
The Indian Air Force's Suryakiran Aerobatic Team flying Hawk jets in formation (file photo)
The Indian Air Force's Suryakiran Aerobatic Team flying Hawk jets in formation (file photo)Photo: Ashwin Kumar from Bengaluru, India / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Key points

  1. The Suryakiran Aerobatic Team is performing at Bannimantap Grounds for Mysuru Dasara.
  2. The display was requested by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to inspire young people to join the forces.
  3. The team flies nine BAE Hawk Mk.132 jets in close formation.

The Indian Air Force’s Suryakiran Aerobatic Team has brought its Hawk jets to Mysuru, where it is flying over the Bannimantap Grounds as part of the city’s Dasara celebrations.

The displays, with slots from 10 am on the festival days starting Sunday, were arranged after Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar asked Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to send the team. The stated aim is to inspire young people from the region to join the armed forces. Military tableaux from all three services are also part of this year’s festivities.

What the crowd will see

The team flies nine BAE Hawk Mk.132 advanced jet trainers, built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics. Its routine includes tight close-formation flying, barrel rolls, loops and inverted passes, and its signature “DNA” manoeuvre, with the aircraft trailing saffron, white and green smoke.

Known as “The Sharks”, the team was formed on 27 May 1996 at Air Force Station Bidar in Karnataka, as part of No. 52 Squadron. Its motto is “Sadaiva Sarvottama”, or “Always the Best”. It first flew HAL Kiran trainers, was stood down in 2011 and was re-formed in 2015. It marked its 30th anniversary in May and has flown more than 800 displays.

Its pilots are fighter-stream officers with at least 10 years’ service and about 2,000 hours on fighters, and must be qualified flying instructors. Thirteen pilots serve with the team, with nine flying in any display.

Next on the calendar

After Mysuru, the team is due over the ghats of Varanasi on 25 October for the “Wings Over Ganges” show marking the IAF’s 94th anniversary, and at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat on 31 October for Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.