What is Navy's Sagar Pawan?
Sagar Pawan is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Indian Navy's Aviation Arm. It is one of the only two naval aerobatic teams in the world, the other being the Blue Angels of the US Navy.
The team uses 4 Hindustan Aeronautics HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 trainer aircraft, and are based at the Dabolim Naval Air Station, INS Hansa in Goa, Southern India.
The colour scheme used by the aircraft is dark blue on white.
The Team started training for aerobatic aerobatics in end 2001. The Squadron Commander of INAS 551, then, was Commander JS Tewatia. The work-up at that time was, however, informal.
The drive gained formal momentum in later part of 2002. The paint scheme of the aircraft was changed to the current one and the aircraft were modified for smoke emission with the inboard stations modified for carriage of kerosene tanks mixed with colour dyes (if you do not mix a dye, the smoke is white in colour).
The Team was initially called as Sagarkiran and it is under this name that the Team made its formal inaugural debut display (then with only three aircraft) in Kochi, India on 11 May 2003 for the Golden Jubilee of the Indian Naval Aviation.
The founding Leader of the Team was Commander Surendra Ahuja. The formation of the Team gave the Indian Naval Air Squadron 551 a new role. The squadron had on some occasions in the past also attempted to set up an aerobatic team and but the attempts were informal and were not sustained for long enough to assume any significant formality.
The other members of the inaugural Team in 2003 were Lieutenant Commander Yogesh Garud (who himself later, as a Commander, led the Team) and Lieutenant Commander N Thiagarajan.
The Team's name was later changed to the present name of Sagar Pawan (Hindi equivalent of sea breeze). The new name was selected (among a few others that were suggested) by the then Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Arun Prakash (later Admiral and CNS).
The Team is also fondly referred to as INSPAT - Indian Navy Sagar Pawan Aerobatic Team or simply SPAT. Since then the other Team leaders have been Commander Sameer Mehra, Commander Yogesh Garud and Commander Satyen Vartak.
The Team is presently being led by Commander Yashwant Hemant Karkare. Since inception the Team has performed in Kochi, Visakhapatnam,Mumbai(Gateway of India), Pune (NDA, Kharakvasla), Lonavla (INS Shivaji) and a number of other locations as also at their home location in Goa.
They have also performed for the International Film Festival of India. The Team members use every opportunity to interact with their Air Force counterparts, Suryakirans, who also fly the same aircraft, and the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows who have performed in Goa on a couple of occasions.
The Squadron that boasts of the Team (INAS 551) has, for its contribution to the Navy as a training squadron as also for its contribution in setting up an aerobatic team (only second Navy aerobatic team in the world), been recently awarded the Chief of the Naval Staff's Unit Citation which is a matter of great honour for all the pilots who have trained in this squadron in the past.
They truly do the Indian Navy proud. May God keep them safe and give them Blue Skies to perform - always!
