President’s Standards for IAF sole Aerostat unit

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Ambala, November 4

The IAF’s sole Aerostat operating unit, 501 Signals Unit (SU), along with No. 30 Squadron that operates the SU-30 fighter, will be awarded the President’s Standards at a ceremonial parade scheduled to be held at Ambala Air Force Station on November 10.

Standards or Colours are presented to a military unit or establishment in recognition of exceptional service rendered by it during war and in peace.

Raised in August 1964 and based at Barnala, 501 SU is responsible for defending the airspace over Punjab Sector against the western adversary. It is equipped with French-made high powered radars and aerostats, which are large fixed balloons carrying radars, sensors and electronic intelligence gathering gadgets that can be raised to a height of 15,000 feet for aerial surveillance.

Presently commanded by Gp Capt Vineet Jindal, it is also the first IAF radar unit to receive the Standards.

Giving details, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, Air Marshal SB Deo said that the 49-year-old 30 Squadron that is based in Pune has a vast operational role ranging from the Andamans to the northern frontier.

Raised initially on MiG-21FL and then charged with conversion training of new pilots, it was the first squadron to be equipped with the SU-30. Presently commanded by Wg Cdr Arun Phansalkar, it was involved in six protracted phases of user trials of the SU-30 and has also been associated with integration trials of indigenously developed systems and weapons.