IAF’s Sarang Helicopter Display Team lands in Egypt for international air show

Sarang, implying peacock in Sanskrit, was originally formed in 2002 as an evaluation flight squadron for the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and later evolved as a helicopter aerobatic display unit.

The display team was formed in October 2003 and was officially established as No.151 Helicopter Unit, initially with three helicopters based at Yelahanka Air Force Station near Bangalore. It moved to Sulur near Coimbatore in 2009.

The team has performed numerous displays at home and abroad, dazzling audiences with its various manoeuvers and synchronised flying. It has also lined up a series of aerial routines for its African sojourn alongside similar displays by teams from several other countries.

Even as Sarang’s presence in Egypt demonstrates the warm bilateral relations with India and the growing defence cooperation between the two countries, it also casts a throwback to the Indian military’s historical link with El Alamein.

During the WWII, El Alamein was the site of several crucial battles where Indian soldiers had played a vital part. About 25,000 Indian troops, primarily making up the 4th and 5th Indian Infantry Divisions had taken part in the North African Campaign, with about 3,000 being killed in action. A significant number of these were at El Alamein.

Immediately after the Independence, India established diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1947 and ties, spread across multilateral fora and marked by top level visits, have remained warm and cordial since then.

The military engagement, too, has expanded and strengthened, focusing on structured military interaction mechanisms, strengthening joint training exchanges, enhancing maritime security cooperation, increasing the scope and complexity of military exercises and promoting collaboration in defence production and technology.