The ‘Sarang’ helicopter team of Indian Air Force (IAF) will be performing at Wings India-2020, an International exhibition of Civil Aviation at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, that starts on Thursday. The team would display its breathtaking air manoeuvres twice daily — at 11.30 am and 4 pm — during the event that is being held from March 12 to March 15. “It is the endeavour of the team to live up to the unit motto ‘Inspire through Excellence’ and motivate the youth of the nation to join Indian Air Force,” the IAF said in a release. “The Sarang helicopter display team has evolved from the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) evaluation flight, which was formed at Bengaluru in 2003, to evaluate the indigenous helicopter ‘Dhruv’, prior to its induction into operational service. Designed and conceived by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the Dhruv is an all-weather, multi-mission capable helicopter. It features rigid, hingeless rotors making it highly manoeuvrable and highly suited for military roles. The Sarang team has participated in several operations towards humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). The team was at the forefront of HADR missions in Uttarakhand during the flash floods of 2013, wherein the unit helicopters rescued close to 1,000 people and supplied 12 tonnes of relief material at altitudes over 10,000 feet in inclement weather. “In the recent past, the team was one of the first responders for HADR missions during the Cyclone Okhi in December 2017 and during the tragic forest fires in Theni in March 2018. The devastating floods in Kerala in August 2018 tested the mettle of the team yet again. The team deployed eight helicopters to rescue over 320 civilians and to drop over 77 tonnes of relief material in aid of the people of Kerala,” it added.
