IAF team aims higher

Slated to perform in Bengaluru in February next year, Suryakiran pilots are preparing for their most dazzling display yet

The Suryakiran aerobatic team of the Indian Air Force, known for its spectacular manoeuvres, is preparing for a nine-plane display early next year.

The team, which forms the 52nd squadron of the IAF, is the only current military nine-aircraft aerobatic team in Asia. With 12 pilots, it is led by Gp Capt Anoop Singh. All the pilots belong to the fighter stream of the IAF. The team has already carried out 600-plus displays all around the country and represented the country at aero shows in South East Asia and China.

As it prepares for the Bengaluru Aero India, slated for early next year, Anoop Singh speaks exclusively to Metrolife about his vision for the team.

How has the upgrade from a four-plane formation to a nine-plane composite formation helped enhance the manoeuvres?

Close Formation Aerobatics (CFA) is a complex and niche skill. Some call it an art. The team was resurrected on the Hawk aircraft in 2015 and it built and gained experience in an incremental manner. As you said, the first display was with four aircraft and the lessons learnt were applied and the team upgraded to six aircraft.

And then we became one of the few nine-aircraft teams in the world. With the increased number of aircraft, the number of formations also increases, not to mention the difficulty level.

We hear you have smoke pods this year. How is it going to add to the charm?

The smoke pods will definitely add to the charm, There’s a threefold reason to that. Firstly, trailing the tricolour behind the formation will be a majestic and proud sight. Secondly, in poor visibility conditions, the formation can be seen throughout the display due to the smoke trail. Lastly, more manoeuvres can be undertaken, including forming shapes like a heart in the sky.

What is the training that goes into performing stunts in the skies?

All pilots of the team are experienced fighter pilots.

While fighter pilots routinely do both aerobatics and close formation as a part of their training, they rarely do them together.

And even more rarely in larger formations. Which is why, despite their experience, the training is demanding, comprehensive and graduated. It involves a gruelling flying and ground-training syllabus, followed meticulously.

What is the kind of physical and mental preparedness required of a Suryakiran pilot?

Ask any team pilot and he will tell you that the sorties are among the most exhausting. To undertake this role, one must be physically fit and we place due importance on our fitness.

Are there any special exercises to build confidence, as trust is a huge thing?

Teamwork and team spirit are key to undertaking this role. Not just among the pilots, but also with the extremely talented and hard-working team on the ground who make it possible for us to form the ‘nine diamond’ in the sky. While there aren’t any dedicated exercises to build this spirit, we are proud to be a really closely knit squad, probably because this kind of a role is by itself the best exercise in trust building.

How many displays till date? What are your signature moves right now?

We have done a little over 130 displays since our resurrection in 2015. We constantly strive for different formations and undertake new manoeuvres with each season.

What is your message to those aspiring to join the team?

We would love to have young, bright-eyed aspirants become a part of the team. But to do so: Join the Indian Air Force. It’s an extremely professional and role- oriented organisation.
Each one of us is proud to serve the country.

Since 1996

Suryakiran, meaning rays of the sun (in Sanskrit), is the formation aerobatic team of the IAF Airbase in Bidar, Karnataka. Raised in 1996 on the Kiran Mk II plane, the team had enthralled spectators in India and abroad till 2011. It didn’t perform for three years after that. In 2015, the team was resurrected on the Hawk Mk 132 aircraft. Since then, it has built up from four planes to nine, and is now known for its heart-stopping synchro manoeuvres.