Eastern Air Command
Emblem of the Eastern Air Command
Founded	May 27, 1958
Country	India
Branch	Indian Air Force
Type	Operational Air Command
Role	Air Defence,OCA,Offensive Ground Support, Civilian Relief.
Headquarters	Shillong
Motto	Sanskrit:Samareshu Parakramah
Engagements	1962 Sino-Indian War,East Pakistan Operations 1971,Operation Meghdoot,Orissa Super-Cyclone Relief, 1999,Operation All Clear (MEDEVAC and support)
Commanders
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief	Air MarshalInderpal Singh Walia,AVSM VM

TheEastern Air Command is one of the five operationalcommands of theIndian Air Force. Currently headquartered inShillong inMeghalaya. It was initially raised asNo. 1 Operational Group on 27 May 1958 at Ranikutir,Kolkata as a part of theGovernment's increasing emphasis on defence of the eastern borders. The Operational Group was upgraded as Command on 1 December 1959 with headquarters atFort William,Kolkata and re raises as a full fledged command atShillong.

The present Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief isAir MarshalInderpal Singh Walia.^[1]

It was initially raised asNo. 1 Operational Group on 27 May 1958 at Ranikutir,Kolkata as a part of theGovernment's increasing emphasis on defence of the eastern borders. The Operational Group was upgraded as Command on 1 December 1959 with headquarters atFort William,Kolkata and Air Vice Marshal KL Sondhi as the first AOC-in-C of the Eastern Command. After the1962 Indo-Chinese War, The decision was made to raise a full-fledged command at Shillong. The area of responsibility of the command now covers 11 states, and is bound by the international boundaries ofNepal,Bhutan,China,Myanmar andBangladesh incorporating 6300 km of common border. Eastern Air Command now has permanent airbases atChabua,Guwahati,Bagdogra,Barrackpore,Hasimara,Jorhat,Kalaikunda andTezpur with forward airbases atAgartala,Kolkata,Panagarh andShillong. Eastern Air Command historically consisted ofAir Defence squadrons consisting of theMiG-21 andGround attack squadrons consisting of theMiG-27, though today the command relies onSU-30MKIs andDassault Rafales. It holds the motto "Samareshu Parakramaha" (Lit: Valour in battle).

The Eastern Air Command has a specific mandate both during peace and war. In war situations, the command is tasked to conductcounter air operations and providesoffensive air support to Army and Para-Military Forces. In peace, the command swings into action whenever there is a natural calamity. It was extensively involved in relief operations in the aftermath of thesupercyclone in Orissa and has provided relief supplies during floods inAssam andArunachal Pradesh. The command has three broad spheres of activity - operations, maintenance and administration. The fighter squadrons under the Eastern Air Command are equipped with MiG variants, and pilots are under continuous training for operational flying.

AtTezpur, located on the northern bank of theBrahmaputra in UpperAssam, newly commissionedab-initio fighter pilots undergo fighter pilot training and on successful completion get inducted into various fighter squadrons inIAF. Majority of the fighter fleet of Eastern Air Command consisted ofMiG-21 and theMiG-27 (Bahadur), before their retirement and replacement by SU-30MKIs and Dassault Rafales.

Thetransport aircraft andhelicopter of the Eastern Air Command are critical in theNorth-East India. Thetopography in the hill regions restrict the construction of a standardrunway. Tribal settlements in places like Menchuha, Vijaynagar and Tuting in remote and inaccessible areas ofArunachal Pradesh totally depend on the aerial supply by the Air Force. They also depend on these aircraft to airlift their sick and ailing. The district headquarters atAnini, a conglomeration of about ten tribal settlements with a population of a couple of thousand inArunachal Pradesh is the only one of its kind in the world which is totally air-maintained.

Pilots operate from the advance landing grounds (ALG) with only one third of the length of a regular runway, having unique and uni-directional approach and take off requirements. This coupled with the vagaries of weather expects superior skills from the pilots and their navigators. Both man and machine are stretched to the limits of their capabilities. Helicopter operations also form a critical part of the responsibilities of the Easter Air Command. For the pilots who negotiate this remote and inaccessible terrain, the experience gained over the last five decades has been well assimilated. The contribution of Eastern Air Command in bringing relief and in aiding civilian population in times of calamity and strife is an unsung saga of commitment, daring and dedication.

The Eastern Air Command was a major participant in 1962Sino-Indian War and theIndo-Pak war of 1971. During the 1962 war, Eastern Air Command was tasked with mounting transport support missions, a task admirably performed by itsDakota andCaribou aircraft. It also mountedreconnaissance andcasualty evacuation sorties using theBell andSikorsky helicopters it operated at the time.

During the 1971 war, Eastern Air Command was tasked with offensive as well as supply operations. It was involved right from the firstclash over Boyra to theTangail Airdrop. It also operatedMi-4 helicopters in offensive roles behind enemy lines, operating from helicopter bases inTripura. Kalaikunda, one of the oldest and most strategically placed airbases under Eastern Air Command, has supported fighter operations since the early post-independence years. Its historical transformation has been documented extensively.^[2]

Squadrons include (as of 2015):

• Sukhoi Su-30 MKI
• Mil Mi-17
• Mil Mi-24
• Avro 748
• An-32
• BAE Hawk
• Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules
• Dassault Rafale

• Indian Air Force
• No. 22 Squadron, Indian Air Force
• Sino-Indian War
• East Pakistan Operations 1971
• Operation Meghdoot
• Orissa Super Cyclone

• Commands of the Indian Air Force
• Military units and formations established in 1958
• Military units and formations of the Indian Air Force
• 1958 establishments in West Bengal

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing Sanskrit-language text