Why IAF shifted a helicopter unit from Western Air Command to Thanjavur, TN
By Anish Kumar | First Published Mar 20, 2024, 10:30 PM ISTThe relocation aims to bolster the IAF's capabilities for search and rescue operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), and casualty evacuation. This move follows the recent commissioning of INS Jatayu, a new naval base in the Lakshadweep archipelago, reinforcing the Indian Navy's presence in strategically important areas
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has relocated one of its helicopter units to the Thanjavur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu from its Western Air Command on Tuesday to further strengthen its operational capabilities in the southern region.
Sources in the Indian Air Force told Asanet Newsable: "A unit of Chetak helicopters has been inducted at Thanjavur Air Force station under Southern Air Command” in the presence of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Air Marshal B Manikantan.
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The helicopter unit at Thanjavur would strengthen the IAF’s operational capabilities; and meet the peacetime tasks, including search and rescue, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and casualty evacuation. It would also ensure the availability of sufficient resources with the formation, an official said.
The development comes weeks after the Indian Navy commissioned a new naval base – INS Jatayu, at Minicoy Island in the Lakshadweep archipelago, which straddles key trade routes. This is the second naval base on the archipelago and is closer to the atoll nation, the Maldives.
It would strengthen the Navy's presence in the strategically important Lakshadweep islands, enhancing its operational reach, capacity building, and logistical support in the region.
Minicoy is being seen as an alternative to India’s presence in Maldives in the western Indian Ocean Region.
The Thanjavur Air Force Station also houses IAF’s elite Sukhoi fighter jets, which are equipped with a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system. Known as Squadron 222 or “Tigersharks”, the squadron was raised amid China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
It must be noted that the Thanjavur is the first base in south India to house high-profile aircraft.
The Southern Air Command was set up in response to certain geopolitical developments to ensure effective command and control of the Air Force’s assets and facilitate quick deployment of combat forces in the event of threats developing in the Indian Ocean Region.
It was created to effectively defend the Island territories and protect our exclusive economic zones. The Southern Air Command covers the geopolitical area of peninsular India, extending to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.
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