No. 128 Helicopter Unit, IAF

No. 128 Helicopter Unit
Active	30 December 1985 - Present
Country	Republic of India
Branch	Indian Air Force
Garrison/HQ	Mohanbari AFS
Nickname(s)	"Siachen Tigers"
Motto(s)	Apatsu Mitram A friend in time of need
Aircraft flown
Attack	Mi-17

Military unit

No. 128 Helicopter Unit (Siachen Tigers) is a Helicopter Unit and is equipped with Mil Mi-17 and based at Mohanbari Air Force Station.^[1]

History

This HU was formed on 30 December 1985 at Hindon Air Force Station became the second unit to operate the Mi-17. From Hindon they moved to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, where they won the 'Best Helicopter Unit Trophy' in 1986. In March 1988 they moved to Chabua and from there onto their present location in May 1992.

Assignments

On occasions they have also been called upon to perform VIP duties for Eastern Air Command and have also been required to provide search and rescue coverage for fighters operating in the area. This unit has a dedicated wartime role as well, which involves the induction of troops behind enemy lines.^[2]

The unit has actively participated in the following:

Exercise Hammer Blow in 1987
Operation Vijay (1999) in Kargil during 1999.
Operation Rhino against ULFA Terrorist Camps in Bhutan during September 1991.
Operation Pawan, the Battle for Jafna in Sri Lanka during October 1987.
Operation Rakshak, a counter insurgency operation in Kashmir during 2000.
Operation Meghdoot, the operation to take the high ground on the Siachen Glacier in 1985.
Operation Brasstacks, the entire mobilisation of the Indian Army in Rajasthan in 1987.
Operation Safed Sagar in Kargil during 1999.

Aircraft

Mil Mi-17

References

^ "Squadrons and Helicopter Units". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
^ "42 Wing - Mohanbari : Indian Mi-17s in Assam".

Indian Air Force

Leadership

Minister of Defence
Chief of the Air Staff
Vice Chief of the Air Staff
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
AOCs-in-C (Commander-in-Chief)
Serving air marshals

Components
& commands

Air Force commands

Operational	Central Air Command Eastern Air Command Southern Air Command South Western Air Command Western Air Command
Functional	Training Command Maintenance Command
Joint	Andaman and Nicobar Command Strategic Forces Command Defence Cyber Agency Defence Space Agency Armed Forces Special Operations Division

Air bases

Western Air Command	Adampur Ambala Amritsar Awantipora Bathinda Chandigarh Faridabad Gurugram Halwara Hindan Leh Palam Pathankot Sarsawa Siachen Glacier Sirsa Srinagar Udhampur
Eastern Air Command	Agartala Bagdogra Barapani AFS Barrackpore Chabua Dum Dum Hasimara Jorhat Kalaikunda Kumbhigram Mohanbari Mountain Shadow Tawang Tezpur Panagarh
Central Air Command	Agra Bihta Darbhanga Bakshi Ka Talab Bamrauli Bareilly Chakeri Gorakhpur Maharajpur
Southern Air Command	Car Nicobar Coimbatore Madurai Port Blair Tambaram Thanjavur
South Western Air Command	Bhuj Jaisalmer Jamnagar Jodhpur Lohegaon Nal-Bikaner Naliya Phalodi Uttarlai Makarpura
Training Command	Begumpet Bidar Dundigal Hakimpet Yelahanka Belgaum
Maintenance Command	Nagpur Ojhar
Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs)	Along Chinyalisaur Chushul Daulat Beg Oldi Fukche Hayuliang Mechuka Nyoma Pasighat Airport Tawang Thoise Tuting Vijaynagar Walong Ziro

Squadrons

Combat

No. 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
14
15
16
17
18
20
23
24
27
29
30
31
45
47
101
102
106
220
221
222
223
224

Transport

No. 11
12
19
25
33
41
43
44
48
49
59
77
78
81
87

Helicopters

Squadrons	No. 104 125
Units	No. 105 107 109 110 111 112 114 115 116 117 118 119 127 128 129 130 143 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159
Flights	No. 121 122 126 131 132

Acrobatic display

Communication

AHQCS

EW/AWS

RPA

No. 3001
3002
3003
3004
3005

Number plated

No. 10
21
22
26
28
32
35
37
51
108

Aircraft

Military
academies

Education & training	Sainik School Armed Forces Medical College Ajmer Military School Bangalore Military School Belgaum Military School Chail Military School Dholpur Military School Rashtriya Indian Military College
Schools & colleges	Air Force Academy Air Force Administrative College Air Force School, Coimbatore Air Force School, Jodhpur Flying Instructors School Indian Air Force Test Pilot School Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment Air Defence College College of Air Warfare
Tri-service institutions	Defence Services Staff College National Defence Academy National Defence College College of Defence Management Military Institute of Technology