HYDERABAD: The skies over Hyderabad are set to come alive this week as the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) returns to the city with its trademark high-speed aerial manoeuvres.
The team will perform as part of the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal on June 11 and 13. The display comes shortly after SKAT celebrated its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of precision flying and aerial excellence.
Popularly known as India’s “Ambassadors in the Sky”, the Surya Kiran team operates nine Hawk Mk 132 aircraft and comprises 12 pilots led by Group Captain Ajay Dasarathi, a Su-30 MKI pilot. During performances, the aircraft fly in close formations with a separation of just five metres.
The aerobatic display includes complex manoeuvres such as Cross-Overs, Close-Trail Loops, Barrel Rolls and Inverted Passes. Among its most recognisable formations are the Tejas, Yuva and Heart formations, while the DNA Tricolour Formation remains its signature display.
Established in 1996 and based at Air Force Station Bidar in Karnataka, SKAT is the only nine-aircraft aerobatic team in Asia and among a select few such teams worldwide.
Over the past three decades, the team has performed more than 800 aerial displays across 72 cities and represented India at international events in countries including Singapore, the UAE, Laos, Sri Lanka, China and Myanmar.
