IAF’s No. 17 Squadron Golden Arrows celebrates 75 years at Ambala

The Indian Air Force’s No. 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, celebrated its Platinum Jubilee at Air Force Station Ambala on 1 October 2026, 75 years after the unit was first raised at the same base.

The commemorations at Ambala brought together serving and retired air warriors for a static display, the release of a special first-day cover, a barakhana for squadron personnel and a social evening. The squadron, which is the IAF’s first Dassault Rafale unit, continues to serve under Western Air Command.

Raised on 1 October 1951 under Flight Lieutenant Doughlas Llewellyn Springett of the 27 Pilot Course, who had received his wings in February 1945, No. 17 Squadron was the last of four fighter squadrons — Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 17 — to be formed in an eight-week expansion between August and October 1951. The quartet later came to be known as the “Emergency Teens”. The squadron began life as a tactical reconnaissance unit with 12 Harvard-IIB aircraft and adopted the motto Udyam Ajasram, meaning “Arise Forever”.

The unit moved into the jet era with the de Havilland Vampire in November 1955 and converted to the Hawker Hunter in 1957. It re-equipped with the MiG-21 in 1975 and shifted to Bhisiana, near Bathinda. After the MiG-21s were phased out, the squadron was number-plated in 2016. On 10 September 2019, then Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal B. S. Dhanoa resurrected the Golden Arrows at Ambala, with Group Captain Harkirat Singh, Shaurya Chakra, taking command of the re-raised unit. The first Rafales joined the squadron in 2020. Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa has said the unit was selected for the Rafale because it was the highest-decorated squadron of the Kargil war.

No. 17 Squadron’s operational history spans every major Indian air campaign since the 1960s. During the 1961 Goa liberation, six Hunters under Squadron Leader Jayawant Singh struck Bambolim. In the 1965 war, the squadron was assigned air defence duties for New Delhi. In 1971, under Wing Commander Narinder Chatrath, it carried out close air support, counter-air and fighter reconnaissance missions from the eastern theatre in support of 20 Mountain Division. Among its operations was a strike on Kurmitola near Dhaka, during which Chatrath engaged two Pakistan Air Force Sabres and shot one down. Chatrath and Flying Officer V. K. Neb were awarded the Vir Chakra for their roles in the war.

The President’s Standard was presented to the squadron on 8 November 1988 at Palam by President R. Venkataraman.

During Operation Safed Sagar in 1999, the Golden Arrows, then commanded by Wing Commander B. S. Dhanoa, flew MiG-21 reconnaissance sorties and low-level night bombing missions in the mountains along the Line of Control, often at around 1,000 metres above ground. Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, the flight commander, was killed on 27 May 1999 when his MiG-21 was hit by a missile while he was searching for Flight Lieutenant K. Nachiketa, whose MiG-27 had suffered an engine failure. Ahuja was awarded the Vir Chakra posthumously. The squadron later took part in the Balakot strikes.

In May 2025, the squadron flew in Operation Sindoor, carrying out both air defence and precision strike missions. On Air Force Day in October 2025, Group Captain Amit Gehani, the commanding officer, received a Unit Citation for the squadron’s performance. Reporting on the jubilee said the unit’s Operation Sindoor honours include two Vir Chakras, four Vayu Sena Medals and ten Mentions-in-Despatches. On 4 October 2021, the squadron formalised its affiliation with the Sikh Light Infantry at Ambala.

From Harvard trainers to Rafales, No. 17 Squadron has remained on the IAF’s order of battle through four generations of aircraft and every major conflict since Independence. Its Platinum Jubilee returned the Golden Arrows to the station where the unit was originally raised.