No. 20 Squadron
Active1 June 1956 - Present
CountryIndia Republic of India
Branch Indian Air Force
RoleFighter
Garrison/HQLohegaon Air Force Station
Nickname(s)"Lightnings"
Motto(s)Vegvankutobhayah
Swift and Fearless
Aircraft flown
AttackSukhoi Su-30MKI

No. 20 Squadron (Lightnings) is a fighter squadron. It is equipped with Sukhoi Su-30MKI and based at Lohegaon Air Force Station, Pune.[1]

History

The Lightnings stuck with tremendous impact during the December 1971 operations. A decade later, No. 20 Squadron were chosen to form the IAF's formation aerobatic team given the appellation of "Thunderbolts".[2]

The IAF's most decorated squadron, No.20 Lightnings, was re-commissioned from its number plated status to operational status.[3] Its pilots and crews were mainly drawn from the first Sukhoi squadron, No. 24 Squadron IAF 'Hunting Hawks,' and have considerable experience on the type. This squadron is considered one of the parent squadrons of the Sukhoi 30 MKI in the IAF. Also the No.20 Squadron played an important role in making the Flankers fully operational in the Indian Air Force.

Aircraft

Aircraft types operated by the squadron[3][4]

Aircraft TypeFromToAir Base
de Havilland Vampire FB521 June 1956May 1959AFS Halwara
Hawker Hunter Mk 56May 19591965AFS Palam
1965February 1968AFS Hindon
Hawker Hunter Mk 56AFebruary 1968July 1996AFS Pathankot
Mig-21 FLMarch 19961975
1975January 1998
Mig-21 BisonAugust 2004May 2005
Sukhoi Su-30 MKIJanuary 2002PresentAFS Lohegaon

References

  1. ↑ "Squadrons and Helicopter Units". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Lancer Publishers Online Bookshop".
  3. 1 2 Pillarisetti, Jagan (2 April 2015). "When Lightning Strikes!". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "No.20 Squadron - Bharat Rakshak:Indian Air Force". bharat-rakshak.com. Retrieved 27 June 2021.


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