Sulur Air Force Station Sulur Vanoorthipadai Nilayam | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Indian Air Force | ||||||||||
| Operator | Southern Air Command | ||||||||||
| Location | Sulur,Tamil Nadu, India | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,250 ft / 381 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 11°00′49″N077°09′35″E / 11.01361°N 77.15972°E /11.01361; 77.15972 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Sulur Air Force Station  Sulur Air Force Station | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Source:[1] | |||||||||||
Sulur Air Force Station is anair base of theIndian Air Force located atSulur nearCoimbatore inTamil Nadu. It is operated by theSouthern Air Command and is the second largest air base of the Indian Air Force after theHindon Air Force Station. The base is tasked with protecting the coasts ofSouthern India. The base is home to the No. 5 Base Repair Depot and No. 43 Wing of the Indian Air Force. It also serves as one of the operating bases ofGarud Commando Force, thespecial forces unit of the Air Force.
The airbase accommodates a fleet ofAntonov An-32transport aircraft,Mil Mi-17transport helicopters,HAL Dhruvutility helicopters of theSarang display team, andHAL Tejasfighter aircraft. It is the only air force station in India which hosts fighters, transport planes, helicopters,microlights, andparagliders at a single venue. The base also hosts repair and overhauling depots, maintenance and storage hangars for aircraft, a flying school and a Type Training School (TETTRA) of the Air Force.
The base was established as a transit base for theAllied forces during theSecond World War. It was taken over by theRoyal Air Force after the war. AfterIndian Independence, the base was used by theIndian Navy. In 1956, it was taken over by the Indian Air Force.
The Sulur air base was established in the early 1940s by theRoyal Navy as RNAS Sulur to serve as a transit base for theAllied forces during theSecond World War.[2][3] The air field was commissioned in 1942 as aRoyal Air Force base under the South East Asian Command. The base was burnt down during theQuit India Movement of 1942.[3] It was later handed over to the Royal Navy and was known as HMS Vairi in 1945.[4] TheRoyal Indian Air Force also started operating from the base.[5] As per Royal Navy report from 1945, the airbase had nine aircraft standing areas, four aprons, 16 aircraft pens, and storage hangars, apart from attached fuel stations, armory, and officer accommodation.[4]
PostIndian independence in 1947, theIndian Navy took over the base and establishedINS Hansa.[2] In 1956, theIndian Air Force took over the station. It was converted it into a repair station for aircraft and the No. 5 Base Repair Depot (5 BRD) was established at the station.[6] In 1964, the Air Force established a hangars for storage of aircraft, and accommodation for non-commissioned officers. The No.33 Equipment Depot (ED) was commissioned at the airbase in 1967, and the station undertook maintenance and overhaul ofFolland Gnats andAvro HS 748 aircraft of the Air Force.[2][7] The air base provided support for the Indian military operations during theBangladesh Liberation War in 1971.[6] The No.43 Wing of the Indian Air Force was established at Sulur on 14 October 1985, and took over part of the assets from the No.5 BRD unit.[8] It served as a support base during the deployment of theIndian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1987.[6]
In November 2010, the station became one of the field bases for theGarud Commando Force, an elitespecial force of the Indian Air Force.[9][10] Since 2017, the airbase is engaged structural and engine repairs, overhaul, and maintenance ofLRUs for the trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force.[2] It has also assisted in rescue operations such as during the2018 Kerala floods.[6][11] In August 2023, a Type Training School (TETTRA) of the Air Force was established at the base.[12] In 2024, the station hosted the first phase ofExercise Tarang Shakti, the largest multinational air force exercise held in India.[13] The air forces of France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom took part in the exercise from 6 August to 14 August.[14]
In May 2025, an unidentified man hailing fromBihar entered the base premises.He was apprehended by the IAF and handed over to thestate police.[15]
Sulur Air Force Station is located inSulur nearCoimbatore, and is operated by theSouthern Air Command of the Indian Air Force.[3][6] Spread across an area of 1,050.51 acres (425.13 ha),[8] It is the second largest air base of the Indian Air Force after theHindon Air Force Station, and is responsible for protecting the coasts ofSouthern India.[6] The airfield has a single 2,516 m (8,255 ft) long runway designated as 05/23.[1] It is equipped with a category IIInstrument Landing System.[7] The base also houses facilities for radio communications, and a transportableradar.[7]
The airbase is equipped with a multiDoppler radar for weather services.[16] It has several hangars for the storage of aircraft.[2][16] The airport also houses a aircraft maintenance and overhaul facility and serves as the base for the No. 5 Base Repair Depot (BRD).[2] It also has facilities for the overhaul, repair, testing and calibration of equipment required for the air force.[3] The base hosts the No.24 Type Training School (TETTRA) of the Air Force, and No.610 unit of the elite Garud Commando Force.[12]
_of_Squadron_18_Flying_Bullets_performing_during_Air_Force_day_2021_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
While operating for the Royal Navy, the base initially hostedtransport aircraft such asBeechcraft Expeditor C-2 and At-7,Avro Anson,Fairey Swordfish,Stinson Reliant,Supermarine Walrus, andSea Otter that were moved from the facility in Coimbatore. Later in 1945, the base was equipped withFairey Barracudatorpedo bombers.[4] Post Indian Independence, the Indian Navy operatedHawker Sea Hawk,Breguet Alize, andde Havilland Vampire aircraft from the airfield, before they were shifted toDabolim AFS in 1961.[3][17] After the No.43 Wing was established in 1985,[8][18] theNo. 18 Squadron IAF was moved to Sulur in January 1985. It operatedFolland Gnats out of the airbase till February 1988.[7][19] TheNo. 109 Helicopter Unit, which operatedMil Mi-8 helicopters, was moved fromJammu AFS to Sulur on 4 June 1987 and was named as "The Knights".[20]
TheNo. 119 Helicopter Unit operated Mil-8 helicopters from the airbase from February 1989 to May 1990.[21] TheNo. 33 Squadron IAF, which operatedAntonov An-32 transport aircraft, moved to Sulur in June 1991. It was suspended in July 1992.[22] The base hosted a detachment of No. 11 squadron consisting ofAvro HS-748 aircraft was hosted at the base from August 1992 to September 1996.[7][8] The No. 33 squadron ("Himalayan Geese") was resurrected in March 2000 with An-32 aircraft.[22][23][24] In 2008, theChief of Air Staff indicated that the station would become the base for the indigenous developedHAL Tejasmultirole combat aircraft in 2010.[25]
The base hostedUnmanned Aerial Vehicles andmicrolights in the late 2000s.[26] In February 2016, the Mil-8 helicopters of the No. 109 Helicopter Unit were replaced byMil Mi-17transport helicopters.[20] TheSarang display team which was established asNo. 151 Helicopter Unit in 2005, was moved fromYelahanka Air Force Station to Sulur in 2009.[27][28] The team operated modifiedHAL Dhruvs foraerobatic display.[29][30] In July 2018, theNo. 45 Squadron IAF ("Flying Daggers") was established with a fleet of HAL Tejas aircraft.[31][32] On 27 May 2020, a second squadron of Tejas aircraft was added as a part of the No. 18 Squadron ("Flying Bullets").[19][33] The squadron was later moved toNaliya Air Force Station in September 2024.[34]
| Squadron | Nickname | Date activated[a] | Aircraft | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 33 Squadron[22] | Himalayan Geese | 1 June 1991[b] | Antonov An-32 | .jpg) |
| No. 45 Squadron[31] | Flying Daggers | 1 July 2018 | HAL Tejas | _of_Squadron_18_Flying_Bullets.jpg) |
| No. 109 Helicopter Unit[20] | Knights | 4 June 1987 | Mil Mi-17 |  |
| No. 151 Helicopter Unit[27] | Sarangs | 2009 | HAL Dhruv |  |
| Leadership | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Components & commands |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military academies |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History & future | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
