r/IndianAirForce

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(Wordings and Format Improved with AI btw please don't charge at me 😢 )

I've always found the history of No. 4 Squadron, the Oorials, particularly interesting because it seems to cover almost every major chapter of Indian military aviation.

The squadron was formed at Peshawar on 1 February 1942, during the Second World War. It initially flew the Westland Lysander before moving onto Hurricanes and taking part in the Burma campaign against the Japanese. The squadron flew close-support and fighter-bomber missions, often operating at very low levels in support of the army.

One of the lesser-known parts of its wartime history is what happened after Japan surrendered.

The Oorials were selected to represent the Royal Indian Air Force in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. They converted to the Spitfire and deployed to Japan in 1946 aboard HMS Vengeance. They were based at Iwakuni and later Miho, carrying out patrols and other occupation duties.

There's something quite remarkable about that. A squadron that had spent the war fighting the Japanese in Burma was now flying Spitfires over occupied Japan only months after the war had ended.

The squadron even took part in the occupation-era flying displays over Japan. Oorial pilots formed the letters “IAF” in the sky, a small but memorable reminder that the Indian Air Force was becoming an increasingly distinct force of its own.

Then came independence.

The Oorials returned to India and continued their service in the newly independent Indian Air Force. Over the following decades they flew an incredible succession of aircraft — Tempest IIs, Vampires, Ouragans and eventually MiG-21s.

They served during Operation Polo, the 1965 war and the 1971 war, among other operations. Their association with the MiG-21 lasted for decades, through several variants and generations of pilots.

In October 2023, the squadron finally said goodbye to the MiG-21 and moved onto the Su-30MKI.

That's probably what I find most impressive about No. 4 Squadron. Its history isn't confined to one war or one aircraft. The Oorials have been around through the Second World War, the end of the British Raj, the birth of the Republic, multiple wars with Pakistan, and the transformation of the IAF into the force it is today.

82 years of history, and still flying.

"Maan Par Jaan."

Jai Hind.