Southern Air Command (India)
The Southern Air Command (SAC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram, which is on the southwestern side of India. This is one among the seven commands of IAF. This command was started on 19 July 1984 and is relatively new among the other commands. The conflicts in Sri Lanka and the need for establishing a strong base over the Indian Ocean resulted to the formation of this new command. The SAC was inaugurated by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India.[2]
| Southern Air Command | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Southern Air Command | |
| Founded | 19 July 1984 |
| Country | India |
| Branch | Indian Air Force |
| Type | Operational Air Command |
| Headquarters | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala |
| Motto(s) | Sanskrit: Antariksham Prashasmahe We Command the space |
| Commanders | |
| Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief | Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, AVSM, VrC, VSM[1] |
From 1984 to 1999, the command grew from 5 lodger units to 17 lodger units under its jurisdiction. Air-sea rescue in the Indian Ocean may be among the command's tasks.
Organization
Squadrons include:
| Squadron | Base | Equipment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 121 Helicopter Flight, IAF | Car Nicobar Air Force Station | Mil Mi-8 | No. 37 Wing |
| No. 122 Helicopter Flight, IAF | Car Nicobar Air Force Station | Mil Mi-8 | No. 37 Wing |
| No. 33 Squadron IAF | Sulur Air Force Station | Antonov An-32 | No. 43 Wing |
| No. 109 Helicopter Unit, IAF | Sulur Air Force Station | Mi-17 V5 | No. 43 Wing |
| No. 45 Squadron IAF[3] | Sulur Air Force Station | HAL Tejas | No. 43 Wing |
| No. 18 Squadron IAF[4] | Sulur Air Force Station | HAL Tejas | |
| No. 222 Squadron IAF[5] | Thanjavur Air Force Station | Sukhoi Su-30 MKI[6] | No. 47 Wing[7] |
Technical area of the air command in Shangumukham near the Trivandrum International Airport
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief
| Rank | Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Marshal | Jasbir Walia | 1 June 2015[8] | 31 July 2016 |
| Sunderraman Neelakantan | 1 August 2016 | 1 March 2017 | |
| Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria | 1 March 2017 | 1 August 2018 | |
| Balakrishnan Suresh | 1 August 2018 | 30 October 2019 | |
| Amit Tiwari | 1 November 2019 | 31 January 2021 | |
| Manavendra Singh | 1 February 2021 | Present |
References
- . NDTV. 3 February 2021 https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/air-marshal-manavendra-singh-takes-charge-as-chief-of-indian-air-forces-southern-command-2362146. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - Indian Air Force, Southern Air Command Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- "Tejas Commences Operations from Kerala's Sulur Air Force Station".
- Thomas, Wilson (27 May 2020). "IAF operationalises second LCA squadron, inducts first LCA Tejas in FOC standard". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- "Thanjavur set to host South India's first Sukhoi Squadron". 4 January 2020.
- 28 Feb, TNN | Updated; 2019; Ist, 4:37. "Sulur air base to get one more LCA squadron | Coimbatore News". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 September 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "Antony Dedicates to Nation New Air Force Station at Thanjavur".
- India, Press Trust of (1 June 2015). "Air Marshal Jasbir Walia assumes charge". Business Standard India.
External links
- Indian Air Force, Southern Air Command
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