Early on Sunday, senior officers, airmen and veterans who once flew Mi-8, a soviet-era helicopter that has served the Indian Air Force (IAF) 45 years, will assemble at the Yelahanka Air Force Station to bid adieu to the chopper fleet.
The IAF has decided to phase out the entire fleet, and a ceremony marking it is scheduled at Yelahanka, which houses a Mi-8 squadron. The chopper, which has come to the aid of civilians in multiple rescue operations showing that the IAF is more than just wars, also has its share of action.
It famously withstood a barrage of bullets during an Indian Peace Keeping Force operation in Sri Lanka, and was also under attack in Siachen. In both cases, it managed to hold itself and bring back men. It has also been part of several international missions under the UN banner.
Air Marshal SRK Nair, the Air Officer Commanding in Chief of IAF’s Training Command headquartered in Bengaluru will preside over the ceremony on Sunday.
The first of the Mi-8 helicopter arrived in India in 1972 and earned the nickname Prathap eventually.
Source Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/iaf-phases-out-mi-8-chopper-fleet/articleshow/62100811.cms
