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

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

AircraftFromToAir Base
Pre-Independence (1933–47)
Westland Wapiti IIAMay 1933October 1941Karachi[5][6]
Hawker AudaxSeptember 1939December 1941Peshawar
Harvard IIBOctober 1945September 1947
Westland LysanderSeptember 1941July 1942
Hawker Hurricane Mk 1October 1942May 1943Trichy
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIBMay 1943August 1944
Hawker Hurricane Mk IICJuly 1944May 1946Imphal
Harvard IIBOctober 1945May 1947Peshawar
Spitfire VIIIDecember 1945May 1947
Post-Independence (1953–Present)
Spitfire XVIIIFebruary 1953September 1953AFS Halwara
Vampire FB52March 1953March 1957AFS Palam
Dassault Mystère IVaJuly 19571963AFS Kalaikunda
1963June 1966AFS Adampur
MiG-21 FLJuly 1966February 1986
Dassault Mirage 2000February 1986PresentAFS Gwalior

Commemorative Postal Stamp

Commemorative stamp was released by India Post in 1993.

References

  1. 1 2 Singh, Pushpindar. "No.1 Squadron". Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 "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.
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