Maneuvers of the Surya Kiran - Aero India Show 2009

The latest of Surya Kiran show witnessed by me was in February, 2009 at the Aero India Show which had six of the ten planes left in the team. Over the years the aerobatic team as lost three planes along with some of the finest pilots who dared the limits of the sky.
All the pilots donning the red plane colors are from a tough backdrop that have flown in various fighter jets like the MIG 23 & 27 versions, Mirage 2000 and the Jaguar.
It is essential for these pilots to have more than 2000 hours of flying and also be a qualified flying instructor. All these fighter pilots have to do a 2 year stint with the Surya Kiran and burn the skies of various countries before being deputed back to their mother units.
The present SKAT is led by Wing Commander Joy Thomas Kurien.
Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) - formally christened so in 1996 - is just one of the four nine-aircraft formation flying squads in the world and traces its history to the IAF's Hunter aircraft formation flying squad, the Thunderbolts of 1982.

At the India Aero Show – 2009 at Yelanka Air force base the men from the red were on a low morale as they had lost a senior pilot in Wing Commander RS Dhaliwal in an air crash on January 21st, 2009. But they came anyway and wowed the guests and visitors with their half strength in mind and maneuvers at the Aero India 2009, in Bangalore from February 11 to 15, 2009. Below are some of their maneuvers captured on camera.

The Surya Kiran team perform an sharp turn (Above) and the split into the 'Bomb Split', (left) during the Aero India Show 2009.



The Surya Kiran aerobatic team's first move is to paint the sky with the tri color (National Flag of India - Colors) above the heads of the onlookers to set their tone for patriotism and a sense of belonging to the country.










The Surya Kiran team members perform their now famous Barrel roll which at the end of their maneuver shows the sign of the 'AIDS' symbol at the Aero India 2009.










The Surya Kiran Team roll over for an drop down bomber style (left) as an ground staff chats up with a Russian lady in a stall at the Aero India Show 2009, after gifting her with one of the shoulder badges of the Surya Kiran team.

The 6 member Surya Kiran Aerobatic team sign off in style by flying low first with the tri color smoke and then pulling up to create an 'Wright', tick mark to stun the visitors and guests who keep waiting and wanting for more at the Aero India - 2009.

*** Scroll down for more on Surya Kiran Team ***

Is the 'Cold War' Over?

Is the cold war over? Well for anyone with a little bit of access to media briefings at the recently concluded Aero India 2009 Show, could get to see the 20 year old famous 'Cold War' tactics being used by USA and Russia to get the 450,000 corers rupees or 1000 billion dollar contract for 125 medium sized fighter jets which the Indian Union plans on ordering to upgrade it's Air Force strength and capability to strike with precision and speed. In these times of recession, the USA which has started to face the heat and Russia which is facing a slide down on their economy for more than a decade, this offer looks like a boon from the bolt.

Lockheed Martin which owns the F-16 Super Viper jets were holding an media briefing soon after their competitor Mikoyan the owners of MIG 35 had held one at the same venue in the media center. One of the Russian journalist stayed back while the rest of them walked out along with the Russian Ambassador to India along with the top brass of the MIG 35 company. As the other Indian media were settling into their chairs two of the top brass of the Lockheed Martin officials were seen arguing with Olga Pospelova of the Russian Aviation magazine and demanding that she leave the hall as her ID card issued did not match the one of the other media persons present in the hall.Though she pleaded that this was the card she was issued by the organizing authorities which fell on deaf ears and later she was escorted out with an bouncer on her tail.

Through these moments I kept framing the sequence of her being shouted at and later escorted out. As a journalist I quickly thought that what happened to the freeze on the 'Cold War' between the two countries. Well money they say can buy anything and now it is time for the cold war between the USA and Russia to fall prey to it.


The Lockheed Martin owned F-16 Super Viper (left) burns smoke over the Bangalore skies as Mikoyan owned MIG-35 (right) speeds past an flag at the Aero India Show 2009 at Yelanka Air Force base on 12th February, 2009.



Who says the cold war is over, it has started to heat up again with this multi billion dollar pending order for 125 fighter jets by the Indian government. The cold war was at it's warmest at the Aero India Show 2009. An sequence of the Russian Aviation Magazine representative Olga Pospelova being first asked by the representatives of the Lockheed Martin to kindly leave, and later escorted away to the door during an media briefing by the US defense company at the Yelanka Air force base in Bangalore on Friday, 13th February, 2009.