No. 14 Squadron IAF explained

Unit Name:No. 14 Squadron
Dates:15 August 1951 - Present
Country: Republic of India
Role:Interdiction
Garrison:Ambala AFS
Nickname:"Bulls"
Motto:"बलं जयय"
(Balam Jayay)
Strength will Conquer
Aircraft Attack:SEPECAT Jaguar IS

No. 14 Squadron (Bulls), is a ground attack unit, operating out of AFS Ambala. The squadron currently operates SEPECAT Jaguar IS and IBs, operational since March 1981.[1]

History

Hunters of No. 14 Squadron battled with Sabres of the PAF in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. No. 14 Squadron was the first to be equipped with the state of the art Jaguar aircraft in 1979.

This squadron spent considerable part of their existence in Eastern India, first at Barrackpore Air Force Station, in the Calcutta suburbs and later at Kalaikunda, south-west of Calcutta. It was from this airbase they saw action,namely led by Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke and his subordinate Subodh Chandra Mamgain[2] briefly during September 1965 and in December 1971. No. 14 Squadron had the unusual opportunity of being deployed at the captured PAF airbase of Jessore during the final stages of the Bangladesh war.

Aircraft

Aircraft types operated by the squadron[3]

! Aircraft Type!!From!!To!!Air Base
September 1951 October 1957
October 1957 August 1959
November 1959 January 1979 AFS Kalaikunda[4]
August 1979 Present AFS Ambala

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Squadrons and Helicopter Units. Bharat Rakshak. 3 December 2015.
  2. Web site: https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/6760.
  3. Web site: No.14 Squadron - Bharat Rakshak:Indian Air Force. bharat-rakshak.com. 2021-06-27.
  4. Web site: Chakraborty . Trinanjan . 27 March 2024 . The forgotten saviour of Kalaikunda - Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke . 29 March 2024.