The Indian Air Force organised a spectacular air show at Air Force Station Ambala on Friday to celebrate the platinum jubilee of its No. 5 squadron, known as ‘Tuskers’.
The air show included spellbound manoeuvres by IAF’s Suryakiran Aerobatic team and Aakashganga skydivers as well as displays by Rafale and Jaguar jets.
The ‘Tuskers’, officially known as No. 5 Squadron of IAF, has completed 75 years of its establishment.
The performances at the air show were aimed to pay tribute to the Tuskers’ rich legacy and its ongoing commitment in keeping India’s skies secure.
The Platinum Jubilee celebratory event was attended by the Air Marshal PM Sinha, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, along with the serving personnel and retired officers, who have served in the squadron earlier. In the event, a special ‘postal cover’ will also be released by Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, Commodore Commandant of the Squadron, reported Tribune India.
The ‘Tuskers’ was established on November 2, 1948, under the leadership of Wing Commander JRS ‘Danny’ Dantra in Kanpur. It was equipped with B-24 Liberator heavy bomber aircraft. The squadron has also been awarded with the President’s Colours in 1975 by the then President, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and became the first IAF bomber unit to achieve such prominence. Later in 1981, the squadron Tuskers was shifted to its current base in Ambala.
The No. 5 Squadron has a reputation of playing crucial roles in crucial wars including, the Indo-Pak war where it conducted several air strikes against the Pakistan airbase in 1948. Later in 1957, the squadron re-equipped the interdictor version of the Canberra jet bomber. They even moved to Agra, which became IAF’s main Canberra base, reported Times of India.
Followed by two key missions of the Indo-Pak war in 1965 and 1971, the squadron moved to Ambala base with a new generation of aircraft, equipped with the Jaguar strike aircraft. Later in July 1988, the squadron participated in Operation Pawan, which was the Indian peace-keeping force operation in Sri Lanka.
