Members of the Indian Air Force aerobatic team ‘Suryakiran‘. | Photo Credit: K Murali Kumar
The Aero India 2023 was held at IAF Yelahanka Airforce Station in Bengaluru from February 13 – February 17. The manoeuvres in the breathtaking display by the Suryakiran aerobatic team has left millions spellbound across the world.
It has evolved over the years from a 50-second gap between manoeuvres to 30 seconds. The team flies with nine Hawk Mk132 as part of the flying display now. The training for aerobatic display had started with one aircraft. The synchronisation with nine aircrafts came in phases after it started public display in 2015.
The team plan for flying display is modified depending on the terrain. They practise for about six months in a year to finetune manoeuvres. Each aircraft uses about 500 kg of fuel per display where aircrafts will be flying at a speed of about 600 km/h.
When the aircraft is flying individually, pilots experience 5G to 6G and when performing together, pilots experience up to 4G.
Reporting: Sharath Srivatsa, K Murali Kumar
Video: K Murali Kumar
Production: Abhinaya Sriram
