No. 28 Squadron of the Indian Air Force was formed on 02 March 1963, at Chandigarh and equipped with the Supersonic MiG-21 aircraft. This ushered the Supersonic era, not only for India but also the Asian Sub Continent. Thus 28 Squadron was aptly christened the ‘First Supersonics’. The Squadron has the distinction of having participated in all major conflicts, be it The 1965 Indo-Pak War’; ‘The 1971- Liberation of Bangladesh’, 1999- Kargil war, 2002- Op Parakra, IAF’s Operations (post Balakot) in 2019, and Op Snow Leopard.
In 1971, in line with the Indian Air Force’s Operational philosophy of ‘Shaping the Battlefield for Exploitation by the Surface Force Commanders’, No. 28 Squadron earned the sobriquet of ‘Runway Busters’ by carrying out numerous precision bombing attacks on Kurmitola and Tezgaon airfields of erstwhile ‘East Pakistan’. These missions contributed to the IAF decisively gaining air superiority over the skies of the Easter front. This in turn permitted the surface forces unfettered freedom in executing an effective campaign. On 14 Dec 1971, AVM BK Bishnoi VrC (then Commanding Officer of No. 28 Squadron) led the first four aircraft element of a coordinated air strike on the Governor’s House in Dhaka. The ferocity and accuracy of the attack forced an immediate resignation of the then Governor of East Pakistan and significantly contributed to the unconditional surrender of Pakistani forces. For professionalism and numerous acts of valour demonstrated during the entire 1971 war, the President of India awarded 28 Squadron with ‘Battle Honours’ in 1991.
The Squadron is currently deployed on the Western front. On 02 March 2023, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Air Staff led an operational mission to commemorate not only the 60th anniversary of the Squadron; but also 60 years of Supersonic flight in IAF. All aircraft of the Squadron flew on this significant occasion.
