| Sarang Helicopter Display Team | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of Sarang Helicopter Display Team | |
| Active | 2002-present[1] |
| Country | India |
| Branch |  Indian Air Force |
| Type | Helicopter unit |
| Role | Aerobatics |
| Part of | Southern Air Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Sulur Air Force Station,Coimbatore,Tamil Nadu, India[2] |
| Nickname | "Sarangs" |
| Mottos | Apatsu Mitram A friend in time of need |
| Colors | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Wing Commander Abhijeet Kumar[3] |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | Peacock |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Multirole helicopter | 5 -HAL Dhruvs |
Sarang is anaerobaticair display team of theIndian Air Force. Formally established as the No. 151 Helicopter Unit in 2005, the unit flies five modifiedHAL Dhruv helicopters and is based out ofSulur Air Force Station nearCoimbatore inTamil Nadu.
The name of the unitSarang meanspeacock inSanskrit.[1] The peacock is thenational bird of India.
The display team was originally formed as an evaluation flight squadron forAdvanced Light Helicopters (ALH) in 2002.[1] Later, the team was re-tasked to form ahelicopteraerobaticdisplay unit.[1] The display team was formed in October 2003 and was officially established asNo. 151 Helicopter Unit of the Indian Air Force in 2005.[1] The team was initially based out ofYelahanka Air Force Station nearBangalore before shifting base toSulur Air Force Station nearCoimbatore in 2009.[2][4]
The team operates a set ofHAL Dhruv Mk-I helicopters built byHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).[5] As of 2024[update], the team utilizes five HAL Dhruv helicopters painted in a special peacock livery and equipped with specialised canisters to produce white smoke during displays.[6] The unit currently operates the following aircraft:
The team performed using four helicopters in tandem before moving to a five helicopter display in 2023.[7][8]
The first public performance of the team was displayed at theAsian Aerospace show atSingapore in 2004.[1] The team performed in the biennial defense air show cum exhibitionAero India, Air Force Day and Navy week celebrations and other events of national importance.[1] In February 2024, the team performed in theSingapore Airshow, its second ever performance outside India and the first since the inaugural display in 2004.[9]
Apart from aerobatic display, the team is also engaged indisaster management and recovery. The team was involved in rescuing stranded people during the2013 Uttarakhand floods. The team was also engaged in dropping food packets, relief materials and rescuing stranded people during various natural calamities such as the2015 Chennai floods,2018 Kerala floods, and the aftermath oftropical cyclones such asCyclone Ockhi in 2017 andCyclone Michaung in 2023.[9]
In February 2007, the team had its first fatal accident when one of the helicopters crashed near Yelahanka Air Force Station during a practice session before Aero India 2007. Co-pilot Squadron Leader Priyesh Sharma was killed and pilot Wing Commander Vikas Jettley was critically injured.[10][11] Vikas Jettley also succumbed to the injuries in 2011 after being in acomatose state for four years.[12][13]
The variant of ALH flown by the Sarang team is ALH MK-I
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