No. 37 Squadron (Black Panthers)
Emblem: 37 Sqn, AF
Crest
The Squadrons motto
"SADAIV NIRBHIK" means" Forever Fearless" enshrines the glorious history, embodies the noble traditions and
represents the ethos of the Squadron. The glorious past infuses pride and confidence among
the present members. The Black Panthers are as formidable as ever and will be a potent
threat to any enemy that has an evil design on our mother land.
History
37 Squadron of the Indian
Air Force was formed on 23 Dec 57 at Air Force Station Palam with the motto "Forever
Fearless", and was alloted the crest BLACK PANTHERS. At
inception the squadron was equipped with Vampire night fighters under the command of Sqn
Ldr AL Bajaj. The first few Vampires to fly in squadron colours flew in on 31 Jan 58 from
BRD Kanpur. It was a short but eventful stint for the Squadron.
On 28 Dec 59 the Black
Panthers moved to Jamnagar to attend the advanced Gunnery Course. They spent a few months
steading their trigger fingers and having finished the course moved to Poona on 20 Feb 60
with nine fighters. 1960 brought laurels to Black Panthers. No sooner had they set their
paws on Maratha soil than they were called upon to participate in the Air Force Day
celebration flypast over Bombay. The flypast of Vampire jets was a show stealer. The
Squadron had not even properly settled down in Poona, yet, with little partice, it put up
a commendable show. The beginning of 1961 saw the Black Panthers giving an excellent
demonstration of fire power at Poona for the Chief of Air Staff of the United Arab
Republic. This was followed by active participation in Ex AKRAMAN at Jamnagar.
On 15 Nov 1962 the Black
Panthers switched over to Hunter 56 day fighters with the role of ground attack and air
defence. Wg Cdr MO Neil took over on 19 Nov 1962, and soon after the squadron moved to
Ambala to participate in the Command Gunnery Meet. In spite of being just a new born baby,
the Squadron put up a fairly good show. In Aug 63 the squadron participated in Ex AASMAN. In Feb 64, the Sqn moved from Poona to Chabua.
Indo
Pak War 1965
On 21 Dec 64, Wg Cdr IIN
Bysak took over command of the Black Panthers, and it was under his command that the
Squadron proved its mettle in the 1965 war. The Squadron was based at Chabua, when
hostilities broke out. The Squadron was given the task of launching offensive action in
the Eastern Sector and of providing air defence in the Western Sector. To achieve this
task a detachment of four aircraft was sent to Guwahati and a detachment of 12 aircraft
was sent to Hindon. The Squadron, with its divided resources, carried out the task in its
traditional competent manner. In the eastern sector the offensive was launched from
Guwahati and strikes were carried out against enemy airfield at Kurmitola. In the western
sector the Squadron carried out ORP duties at Hindon providing effective air defence to
Hindon and the Capital.
The Black Panthers moved to
Tezpur from Chabua at the end of Mar 66, where command of the Sqn passed to Wg Cdr MM
Sinha on 25 Aug 67, The Squadron continued to meet its operational commitments in the
eastern sector, under the command of Wg Cdr PJ Jakatdar. The Squadron was taken over on 01
Apr 71 by Wg Cdr SK Kaul, MVC who went on to lead the Squadron from strength to strength
to bring laurels in the 1971 war.
Liberation
of Bangladesh : Dec 71
37 Squadron played an
important role towards the liberation of Bangladesh from the clutches of Pakistan during
the war of Dec 71. The Squadron flew a total of 187 sorties comprising Fighter
Reconnaissance, Counter Air and Close Air Support Missions from Hasimara. Before the
start of the actual war this Squadron provided valuable information about the enemy
disposition through its extensive reconnaissance capability and thereafter participated in
almost all the battels that were fought on ground to defeat the enemy. All these efforts
definitely helped towards the final goal of liberation of Bangladesh.
Fighter
Reconnaissance
The Squadron carried out a
total of 18 sorties of FR Missions prior to the commencement of actual hostilities on the
following dates, covering the undermentioned areas and features :
20 Oct 71
Lal Munirhat airfield.
04 Nov 71
Hilli area and new airfield at Saidpur.
16 Nov 71
Railway station, ferry & dug in gun positions at Jamalpur and
Sherpur.
18 Nov 71
Bunkers, dug in troops and vehicles at Dinajpur and Sahibgunj
22 Nov 71
Bunkers and dug in troops at Bharungmari.
Counter Air
Operations
On 04 Dec 71 the Squadron
carried out counter air operations against Tejgaon and Kumaritola airfields and flew a
total 18 sorties. Considerable damage was caused to the airfields, but the Squadron lost
two aircraft in these missions and shot one Sabre aircraft close to Dacca.
Close Air Support
During 1971 War
The battle in Hilli
Area ~ Between 05 Dec 71 and
09 Dec 71 most of the flying effort of the Squadron was directed towards providing close
air support to the Army for the battle in Hilli area. During this period a total of 48
sorties were flown for close air support, 20 sorties for interdiction and 4 sorties for
combat air patrol. The Squadron utilised rockets, guns, napalm and 100 lb bombs and
engaged targets like troops on the ground, bunkers, tanks, vehicles, bridges, railway
stations, barges etc.
The battle in
Rangpur / Jamalpur Area ~ The
squadron was tasked to provide close air support and carry out interdiction in the Rangpur
/ Jamalpur area. The interdiction on Rangpur Badarganj railway line commenced on 09 Dec
71. After the initial armed reccee sorties, the actual attack commenced on 10 Dec 71 and
lasted for two days. A total of 28 sorties were flown on 10 Dec 71. Apart from other
targets a brigade headquarters at Rangpur was engaged and considerable damage was caused
to the retreating Pakistani troops from Hilli area.
The Battles in
Bogra/Tangail/Dacca Area ~
Before the commencement of operations in this area on 12 Dec 71, reconnaissance sorties
were flown on 11 Dec 71 covering Mymen Singh, Madhupur and Tangail area. The attack
commenced on 12 Dec 71 and continued till 15 Dec 71. During this period wide ranging
targets were engaged at Tangail, Bogra, Silgory, Saidpur, Fardpur, Nilphamari and Nator. A
total of 40 sorties were flown. Apart from the conventional targets engaged by the
Squadron two sorties were flown to attack the Government house at Dacca on 14 Dec 71. The
culmination of the war came when the Squadron mounted eight sorties over Pak Army
Headquarters in Dacca University on 15 Dec 71.
The black Panthers
contributed significantly towards the IAF tasks in the liberation of Bangladesh. During
the 12 days of war, the Squadron lost two ac and two pilots. The men who lost their lives
will always be remembered. Every member of the Black Panthers contributed towards the
overall achievement. However, special mention needs to be made of the gallantry of Wg Cdr
SK Kaul, who was decorated with the MVC and young Fg Offr H Masand, who was awarded the Vr
C.
Achievements Since
1971
History during war is,
perhaps, more interesting and easier to document than history during peacetime. Yet, the
last 25 years have brought many important developments for the Black Panthers.
The Squadron moved to
Kalaikunda in Dec 73. During the period 1974 to 1976, under the command of Wg Cdr SK
Sahni, the Squadron continued with its operational task in the Eastern Sector and also
undertook the additional commitments of conversion training of pilots on Hunter aircraft.
In 1975, the Squadron won the Eastern Command armament trophy and added another feather to
its cap.
In Feb 77 the Squadron was
re-equipped with the aircraft MiG 21M, under the Command of Wg Cdr DS Nagi and moved to
Adampur for operational duties. The role of the Squadron, ground attack/air defence,
remained unchanged. Within a short period the Squadron and personnel achieved operational
status. After a brief stint at Chandigarh from 1983-85, the Squadron moved to its present
location on 13 Feb 85. Black Panthers have been thundering across the skies of the only
desert air base of WAC, IAF since then.
The Black Panthers have
always maintained the highest standard of operational readiness and flight safety. In Dec
60, the Squadron won the gunnery trophy in the Inter Unit Gunnery Meet at Tilpat range. In
1975 the Squadron won the Eastern Air Command Armament Trophy. In 1977 the Black Panthers
were adjudged the best Squadron in WAC for operational efficiency and flight safety. In
1997 the Squadron won the WAS Flight Safety Trophy for nil Human error accident in 10,000
flying hours. Besides the Black Panthers have cheered their countrymen in Delhi during
number of Republic Day Fly Pasts by trailing national colours. The personnel of the
Squadron have always maintained high morale, a high standard of discipline and high
standard of flight safety without compromising operational efficiency. Many personnel of
the Squadron have earned decorations and commendations of the Chief of the Air Staff and
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief.
The Squadrons motto
"SADAIV NIRBHIK" ( Forever Fearless) enshrines the glorious
history, embodies the noble traditions and represents the ethos of the Squadron. The
glorious past infuses pride and confidence among the present members. The Black Panthers
are as formidable as ever and will be a potent threat to any enemy that has an evil design
on our mother land. Air Cmde KP Sreekanth, VM is the Commodore Commandant of the Squadron.
LOCATION AND AIRCRAFT
FLOWN
Period
Place
Aircraft
23 Dec 57 19 Feb 60
Palam
Vampire NFX
20 Feb 60 30 Oct 62
Poona
Vampire NFX
01 Nov 62 13 Feb 64
Poona Hunter
56
14 Feb 64 15 Oct 64
Chabua Hunter 56
16 Oct 64 15 Feb 65
Jorhat Hunter 56
16 Feb 65 13 Sep
65 Chabua Hunter
56
14 Sep 65 27 Sep
65 Hindon Hunter
56
28 Sep 65 13 Mar
66 Chabua Hunter
56
14 Mar 66 19 Mar 68
Tezpur Hunter 56
20 Mar 68 20 Dec
73 Hasimara Hunter 56
21 Dec 73 15 Feb
77 Kalaikunda Hunter 56
16 Feb 77 17 Apr
83 Adampur MiG 21M
18 Apr 83 12 Feb 85
Chandigarh MiG 21M
HONOURS AND AWARDS
MAHA VIR CHAKRA
Wg Cdr SK Kaul (1971)
VIR CHAKRA
Fg Offr H Masand (1971)
VAYU SENA MEDAL
Sqn Ldr CN Ghosh (1982)
COMMENDATION BY
CAS
Sqn Ldr S Mandonce
(1974)
Sqn Ldr MV Singh (1978)
Sqn Ldr A Chakladar
(1978)
Flt Lt A Bannerjee
(1978)
Sqn Ldr DS Sant (1979)
Wg Cdr DS Nagi (1979)
Fg Offr(Hony) MN Verma
(1982)
JWO HR Singh (1995)
Sqn Ldr A Subramaniam
(1996)
Cpl Ravichandran G
(1996)
COMMENDATION BY
AOC-in-C
Sqn Ldr A Chakladar
(1977)
Sqn Ldr MC Rao (1977)
Flt Lt AD Joshi (1977)
Flt Lt A Bannerjee
(1977)
Flt Lt AD Joshi (1978)
Flt Lt CS Gill (1978)
Flt Lt S Jayaswal (1978)
Fg Offr SPS Virk (1978)
Sgt CL Mali (1978)
NC(E) Fakira (1978)
NC(E) (T) Ramakrishnan
NR (1978)
Sqn Ldr CN Ghosh (1979)
Sqn Ldr VK Vasudeva
(1979)
Flt Lt SS Nannar (1979)
MWO Mulraj (1979)
WO NT Aasu (1979)
JWO V Muthu (1979)
Sgt Singh S (1979)
Sgt Guha (1979)
Cpl Gangadharan (1979)
Cpl John T (1979)
LAC Rao S (1979)
NC(E) Chacko MN (1979)
Sqn Ldr SVS Gahlaut
(1984)
Fg Offr A Puri (1986)
NC(E) Vijay Kumar (1992)
JWO Chedihal (1993)
Sqn Ldr M Chandramouli
(1997)
Sqn Ldr DK Dodeja (1997)
Sgt Reddy BD (1997)
Sgt Cheema SS (1997)
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