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Sirsa Air Force Station

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Sirsa Air Force Station


Sirsa Vayu Sena Chhawni
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerIndian Air Force
OperatorWestern Air Command
LocationSirsa, Haryana
OccupantsNo. 21 Squadron IAF
No. 15 Squadron IAF
Time zoneIST (UTC+05:30)
Elevation AMSL198 m / 650 ft
Coordinates29°33′42″N 75°00′21″E / 29.56167°N 75.00583°E / 29.56167; 75.00583
Map
VISX is located in Haryana
VISX
VISX
Location of the airport in Haryana
VISX is located in India
VISX
VISX
VISX (India)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 2,730 8,956 Concrete / asphalt

Sirsa Air Force Station or Sirsa AFS (ICAO: VISX) is an Indian Air Force base under Western Air Command, located at Sirsa in the state of Haryana, India.[2]

History

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In Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Pakistan Air Force launched a pre-emptive raid on 12 airforce stations,[3] including Sirsa station, Faridkot Stations, Halwara Air Force Station, a few railway stations, Indian armour concentrations and other targets. However, this failed to cause any significant damage except pothole damage to the runway which was quickly repaired.[4] Dassault Mystère IV jets from Sirsa base pounded the Pakistan Army pitched against the Indian Army in the Battle of Sabuna Drain. Dassault Mystère also hit a train and destroyed 50 tanks on it between Okara and Sahiwal.

During the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, the Pakistan Armed Forces claimed that they had targeted Sirsa airfield.[5] Debris of a Pakistani Fatah-II missile that was intercepted by a S-400 missile system in Sirsa, was found near the airfield and Indian officials have stated that no damage occurred at the base.[6][7] The missile is reportedly a Fatah-II ballistic missile that was blown up in the air.[8]

Units

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It has No. 21 Squadron IAF of 45 Wing. Wing is an active air force combat formation. No. 15 Squadron IAF operating Su-30MKI is also based here.[9][10]

Originally the base was home to a squadron each of MiG-23s single-engine fighters and MiG-27s single-engine ground-attack aircraft, of No. 21 Squadron IAF.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b World Airport Codes.
  2. ^ "Air Force Day Fly Past an Appeal". PIB, Ministry of Defence. 26 September 2006.
  3. ^ Om Prakash Maurya, 2017, Babu Jagjivan Ram.
  4. ^ A.S. Ahluwalia, 2012, [ Airborne to Chairborne: Memoirs of a War Veteran Aviator-Lawyer of the India Air Force].
  5. ^ "India and Pakistan just stepped back from the brink of war. Here's how it unfolded". Dawn news. 12 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Air strike attempt by Pakistan thwarted over Sirsa in Haryana". The Indian Express. 10 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Panic in the skies, rumour on the ground: When a missile was intercepted over Sirsa". The Indian Express. 11 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Fatah: The ballistic missile that Pakistan calls its pride blown into pieces in Indian skies". Firstpost. 10 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Indian Air Force to raise four more squadrons of Su-30 MKI fighter". 5 October 2012.
  10. ^ "IAF's top guns brave extreme Alaska". 11 May 2016.
  11. ^ No. 3 Squadron, Indian Air Force Bharat Rakshak
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