IAF’s Sarang Team Prepares For Aerobatics Display At Singapore Airshow 2024

A top official said on Friday that the Indian Air Force’s Sarang helicopter aerobatics team is working hard to put on a great show at the Singapore Airshow this weekend with their daring maneuvers to show off their flying skills and aerobatics.

The Singapore Airshow runs from February 20th to 25th at the Changi Exhibition Centre. According to the organizers, more than 1,000 companies from more than 50 countries and regions will be there.

At this weekend’s big event, the Sarang team of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will put on a spectacular show of flying skills and aerobatics for the people of Singapore.

The big event will have five Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), also called “Dhruv,” and 71 people from the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Sarang Helicopter Display Team.

“The 71-strong team is working hard to put on a good show for the people of Singapore,” Sarang’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Group Capt Ashish Moghe.

They are proud to be in Singapore to promote the Indian Air Force at one of the biggest air shows in the world, he said.

The group got to Singapore on February 12 and did two shows at the airshow on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the same day, it put on its first foreign show at the Asian Aerospace Airshow in 2004.

Capt. Moghe talked about how India and Singapore have strong culture and defense ties. He said, “We are working to strengthen these ties even more and win the hearts of the kind and generous people who live in this prosperous city-state.” He said that Dolphin’s Leap, Cross Over Break, Double Arrow Cross, Mesh, Level Cross, Sarang Heart, and Sarang Split are some of the hardest moves you can do with a Sarang.

He said that it is normal to expect fixed-wing planes to make daring maneuvers and fly in perfect order, but it is especially hard to expect the same from helicopters because their rotor wings are unstable.

“The Sarang Helicopter Display Team is one of only a few in the world,” said Capt Moghe.

“The team is putting on a four-helicopter show to show off the Advanced Light Helicopters’ agility and maneuverability, as well as the high level of skill of the IAF pilots who fly these machines.” The Sarang chopper Display Team grew out of the ALH Evaluation Flight, which was set up in Bengaluru in 2003 to test the Indian chopper “Dhruv” before it was put into service.

“The ALH has lived up to its name; it stands out like the Pole Star in the Indian Aviation sector,” the Group Captain said.

Dhruv, which was made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is shown for the first time at the five-day Singapore show.

All of India’s armed services use the ALH and its more advanced versions, which are made in India. Capt. Moghe said that the successful launch and use of this platform in combat is an example of self-reliance (Atma Nirbharta) gone right in the defense sector.

The Flight was changed into the 151 Helicopter Unit in June 2004, and the new team was given the name “Sarang,” which comes from the Sanskrit word for the Indian national bird, the peacock.

“The choreographed flight of four brightly painted metal birds is reminiscent of the graceful Peacock,” Capt. Moghe said.

In addition to its main job of Display Flying, the unit is also used to show off our country’s strength. The unit has been involved in many activities, some of which have been for humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR).

During the 2013 flash floods in Uttarakhand, the team was at the front of HADR missions. Unit helicopters saved close to 1,000 people and dropped 12 tons of aid at heights of over 10,000 feet in bad weather and dangerous terrain.

In its area of responsibility, the unit has also helped people who have been affected by floods on occasion. Rescue and relief efforts in Chennai, Dindigul, Tirupati, and Nellore are just a few examples.

The team was one of the first to help with HADR tasks during Cyclone Okhi on December 17, the terrible floods in Kerala on August 18, and the floods in Tuticorin in December 2023.

More than 60,000 people are due to visit the Changi Exhibition Centre’s showground. There will be static displays of commercial and military jets, as well as two 45-minute aerial performances every day.

The 2024 airshow will have flying teams from other countries besides Sarang. These include the Black Eagles from the Republic of Korea Air Force, the Corkscrew from the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Jupiter acrobatic team from the Indonesian Air Force.