Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Soaring high

Arrangements are in place for what promises to be a scintillating aerobatic display by a nine-aircraft team of Surya Kirans at an air show by the Indian Air Force at Shanghumughom beach on December 11 and 12.

The SKAT (Surya Kiran aircraft aerobatic team) comprises nine indigenously manufactured Kiran MK II jet trainers. During the display, the team operates at speeds between 200 and 600 kmph and flies within a height band of 30 to 1,500 metres.

Formed on May 1, 1996, this is the youngest nine-aircraft team in the world, after the `Red Arrows' of the Royal Air Force and the Canadian `Snow Birds'. The U.S., Russia and Japan have only six-aircraft aerobatic teams.

Wing Commander S. Bansal, a Mirage 2000 pilot, is the Commanding Officer of the team. His deputy, Wing Commander K. Ramesh, who is a MiG 27 pilot, looks after all operational aspects of the team, while Wing Commander Praujal Singh is the `synchro' leader.

The team has showcased its skills in several displays around the country, including three at the Aero-India International Air Show in Bangalore. It had also performed in Sri Lanka in March, 2001, on the 50th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Air Force, and in Singapore during Asian Aerospace 2004.

M. Harish Govind

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