No. 27 Squadron IAF

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No. 27 Squadron, nicknamed Flaming Arrows, is a Ground Attack and Close Air Support unit of the Indian Air Force. It operates from Gorakhpur air force station under Central Air Command. The squadron was formed on 15 February 1957 at Adampur air force station, flying de Havilland Vampire aircraft for ground-attack and close air support.

Vampires were retired by September 1958 and were replaced by Hunter Mk.56 aircraft, after which the squadron moved to Ambala. Its first combat came in the 1961 Goa operation (Operation Vijay), when the squadron strafed ground targets and airfields.

During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, the squadron operated from Halwara under Western Air Command, performing air defense and ground-attack missions over Punjab. On 7 September 1965, five aircraft attacked Chota Sargodha Air Base in Pakistan, and Flight Lieutenant D. N. Rathore shot down at least two PAF F-86 Sabres. The squadron conducted reconnaissance, opportunistic strikes, and close air support in the Gujranwala sector and along the Sialkot–Lahore–Ferozpur axis and the Khemkaran–Kasur sector, destroying several enemy tanks and contributing to what was called the “Graveyards of Pattons.” The operations came at a high cost, with five aircraft and two pilots lost. The squadron earned two Vir Chakras and five mentions in despatches.

In April 1965, all Hunter Mk.56 aircraft were upgraded to Hunter Mk.56A, and the unit’s role shifted to deep-penetration strike and fighter reconnaissance. In July 1971, the squadron moved to Pathankot. During the December 1971 war with Pakistan, it flew numerous sorties over the Poonch sector, providing close air support to ground units, and carried Combat Air Patrols over army concentrations, later switching to CAS in the Chhamb–Akhnoor sector from 7 December.

In January 1985 the squadron was re-equipped with Jaguar IS aircraft. It has won trophies in exercises and gunnery meets and has taken part in various operations. On 13 November 1996, it was awarded the President’s Colour for its contributions in war and peace. Over the years, the squadron has flown Vampire, Hunter Mk.56, Hunter Mk.56A, and Jaguar IS aircraft.