Surya Kiran team continues to inspire awe

Captivating the public with their scintillating aerial display, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) has held the interest of the air enthusiasts in the absence of the IAF’s helicopter aerobatic team Sarang in this edition of Aero India.

Performing their breathtaking manoeuvres, the nine-aircraft formation of the Hawk MK132 trainers has been the mainstay of the air show so far, besides the excitement generated over the presence of SU-57 and F-35 fighter aircraft.

An addition to the dazzle in the sky has been the introduction of the tricolour smoke instead of white smoke for the first time in Bengaluru sky. The team added colour in September 2024 by making changes to the Gun Pod located on the aircraft’s belly.

The addition of colours, Wing Commander Rajesh Kajla, said had added to the beauty of manoeuvres. “Now, we have introduced new manoeuvres and reduced the time gap between the manoeuvres keeping safety in mind. We have made sure that there is no lull period and public can enjoy the show,” he said.

He said a full display of the team would last for about 25 minutes, which includes, composite display when all nine aircraft are together, and synchronised display. “All manoeuvres are risky and one has to pay attention to all detail and we need to focus fully,” he said in response to a question on which manoeuvre he felt was risky.

Low level aerobatics are performed between as low as 100 ft and a maximum height of 7,000 ft in a journey radius of about 5 nautical miles. Of the 14 pilots in the SKAT, nine will be performing in the show while others are part of training to join the main team. Each pilot has a tenure of three years and joining SKAT is voluntary.

“This is my first time in Aero India and it is a challenging task. Every day is a new learning experience for us,” said Sqn. Ldr. V.S. Vishnu, who has been associated with Bidar-based SKAT for one and a half years. The team practises for six months and performs across various cities for another six months. About 25 manoeuvres are performed by the team in each show.

On what motivates the fighter pilots of the IAF to make a temporary move from their flying squadrons, Sqn. Ldr. Vishnu, a Sukhoi 30 MKI pilot, said, “Flying in SKAT gives us adrenalin rush and we are happy to be motivating youth to join the air force.”