The Air Headquarters Communication Squadron ''(Pegasus)'' (AHQCS) of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

is based at Air Force Station

Palam Palam (phonetically Pālam) is a major residential colony located in South West district of NCT of Delhi, India. It is one of 70 Vidhan Sabha constituencies of the Delhi National Capital Territory in northern India. History Palam is listed i ...

, New Delhi. It is a transport squadron which maintains a fleet of aircraft with the primary aim of providing air transport to the President, Vice President and Prime Minister of India, within and outside the country, and to visiting foreign heads of State, categorized as VVIPs. Owing to its unique and often behind-the-scenes role ferrying senior officers and dignitaries, the unit earned the affectionate nickname “The Flying Wheelchair” within the service.

Components

The squadron is commanded by an officer of the rank of

Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

, who is also responsible for operation of VIP aircraft and their maintenance. It operates under the functional and administrative control of the Directorate of Operations (VIP) at Air Force Headquarters through 3 Wing AF at Palam.Audit of Air HQ Communication Squadron, Comptroller and Auditor General of India report, 2006 The

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

regulates the special flights and stipulates as per relevant orders that, with the exception of the President, Vice President and Prime Minister, certain 'other entitled persons' (OEP) can also avail special flights. This includes and is limited to:

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

Minister of Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Minister of External Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral rela ...

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

, ministers of state in the Ministry of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, chiefs of the three defence services,

Defence Secretary A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

, other

cabinet ministers A cabinet in governing is a group of people with the constitutional or legal task to rule a country or state, or advise a head of state, usually from the executive branch. Their members are known as ministers and secretaries and they are ...

, senior service and civilian officers who are connected with defence organisation and

Cabinet Secretary A cabinet secretary is usually a senior official (typically a civil servant) who provides services and advice to a cabinet of ministers as part of the Cabinet Office. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powe ...

History

The Air Headquarters Communication Squadron traces its roots to No. 3 Communication Flight, RAF, which operated in India during World War II, providing liaison and staff transport duties. After Independence, the need for a dedicated, centrally controlled air transport unit led to the formal establishment of the squadron under Indian command. The unit inherited both the aircraft and ethos of these wartime communication flights, evolving into the IAF’s primary VIP and administrative flying arm. Due to the requirement of conveying VIPs in pre-Independence India, a small unit was formed in January 1947 under Wing Commander Bryant Fenner of the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) called Communication Squadron (India). This unit came under the command of Squadron Leader Melville Duarte on 1 November 1947 as Air Headquarters Communication Squadron (RIAF) and has been based at Air Force Station Palam ever since. It retained its name after India became a republic on 26 January 1950. The squadron began operations with war-surplus

Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed Ltd, Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training Commonwealth of Nations, British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombin ...

and

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for tro ...

(Dakota) aircraft. It acquired the DeHavilland Dove the following year. The first

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

aircraft, two

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. T ...

, were inducted in 1956, but were withdrawn from service and sold in 1967. During his premiership, Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

and his family occasionally flew in a VIP Dakota, IJ-817-S, from which his ashes were scattered in the Vale of Kashmir following his death in May 1964. In 1964, the squadron acquired the

Hawker Siddeley HS 748 The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 (formerly Avro HS 748) is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed and initially produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. It was the last aircraft to be developed by Avro prior to its absorptio ...

(Avro), followed by the induction of three VIP variants of the

Tupolev Tu-124 The Tupolev Tu-124 (NATO reporting name: Cookpot) is a 56-passenger short-range twin-jet airliner built in the Soviet Union. It was the Soviet Union's first operational airliner powered by turbofan engines. Design and development Developed fro ...

in 1966. On 4 November 1977, one of the three TU-124 aircraft (V-643), carrying Prime Minister

Morarji Desai Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian politician and Indian independence activist, independence activist who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India between 1977 and 1979 leading th ...

and other officials from Delhi to Jorhat, struck trees during its landing approach and crashed with the loss of the crew, though the Prime Minister and the other passengers survived. A subsequent court of inquiry attributed the cause of the accident to a combination of

spatial disorientation Spatial disorientation is the inability to determine position or relative motion, commonly occurring during periods of challenging visibility, since visual system, vision is the dominant sense for orientation. The auditory system, vestibular system ...

and pilot error, with the possible failure of a radio-altimeter as a factor. The last of the three TU-124s, ''Rajdoot'', was retired on 13 November 1981, having been replaced by the

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...

-200 in October 1980.

Fleet

Boeing 777-300ER (India One)'' In October 2020, two fully customized Boeing 777-300ER aircraft were inducted into the squadron at a cost of ₹8,458 Crore. Prior to this, two

Air India Air India is the flag carrier of India with its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alo ...

operated Boeing 747-400s were being used for VVIP overseas transport. The two ex- Air India 777 aircraft underwent major modifications at Boeing's facility in Fort Worth, Texas, where they were fitted with missile defence and communications systems requisite of aircraft conveying Heads of State and Heads of Government. Each aircraft features a VVIP suite, two conference rooms, a press briefing room, a medical room and secure communications system, with jammers. The new aircraft was utilized for the first time on 26 March 2021 during Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

's visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Aircraft operating VVIP flights are designated Special Extra Section Flight (SESF). On SESF missions, the President is designated as ''VIP-1'', the Vice President as ''VIP-2'', and the Prime Minister as ''VIP-3''. On official mission with any of three VIPs on board, the aircraft are designated the

callsign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assi ...

''Air India One.'' While Union Ministers and senior staff officers of the Indian Armed Forces may use smaller aircraft for official travel, the B777-300ER's are exclusively used by the President, Vice President and Prime Minister. Passengers traveling on board ''Air India One'' are required to wear colour-coded identity cards at all times. Members of the official delegation (rank of

Joint Secretary to the Government of India Joint Secretary to the Government of India (often abbreviated as JS, GoI or Union Joint Secretary or Joint Secretary to Union of India) is a post under the Central Staffing Scheme and the third highest non-political executive rank in the Govern ...

and above) are tagged in purple and sit in first class equivalent seats. Personnel of the

Special Protection Group The Special Protection Group (SPG) is an agency under the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India, whose sole responsibility is protecting the Prime Minister of India and, in some cases, their family. It was formed in 1988 by an Act of ...

are also tagged in purple since they provide proximate security to the Prime Minister, and may carry close combat weapons for the duration of flights. Accompanying officials (passengers of rank below Joint Secretary) are tagged in pink, and sit in business class equivalent seats. Support staff, including cooks and butlers, and other security personnel (not including the

) are tagged in red, while journalists in the press pool are tagged in yellow. Both red and yellow-tagged passengers sit in economy class equivalent seats. The B777-300ER's onboard electronics include about 238 miles of wiring (twice the amount found in a normal 777). Heavy shielding is tough enough to protect the wiring and crucial electronics from the

electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also referred to as a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. The origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic field, as an ...

associated with a nuclear blast. The aircraft is fitted with encrypted satellite communication facilities and advanced navigation aids, an advanced missile warning system, a missile deflecting shield and electronic countermeasures so as to provide protection from any ground-based or airborne threats. The B777-300ERs are military vessels formally owned by the Indian Air Force. They bear no Air India markings and will not have commercial dual-use. However, under a special contract, their maintenance will be carried out by Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), which has experience in maintaining the Boeing 777 series aircraft for Air India's commercial fleet. Boeing 737 In 2009, three customized 46 seater

Boeing Business Jet A Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) is a version of a Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing jet airliner with modifications to serve the private, head of state, and corporate jet market. The first BBJ, based on the 737-700, rolled out on July 26, 1998; a ...

s (BBJ) (737-7HI) with advanced defensive features similar to the U.S.

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...

replaced the former ageing Boeing 737-200 aircraft. The three BBJs, named ''Rajdoot'', ''Rajhans'' and ''Rajkamal'' were procured at a cost of ₹9.34 billion (US$130 million) each - ₹7.34 billion (US$100 million) for the actual aircraft plus an additional ₹2 billion (US$28 million) for Self Protection Suites. These suites include radar warning receivers, missile-approach warning and counter-measure systems. The aircraft has the capability to shoot

chaff Chaff (; ) is dry, scale-like plant material such as the protective seed casings of cereal grains, the scale-like parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw. Chaff cannot be digested by humans, but it may be fed to livestock, ploughed into soil ...

and

flares A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala, bengalo in several European countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illuminatio ...

to deviate radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles off their target path. Other security instruments on board the aircraft are classified. The BBJs have a four class configuration. For VIPs 1, 2 and 3, an executive enclosure in the aircraft includes an office and a bedroom. Embraer 145 and Legacy 600 From 21 September 2005, four 14 seater

Embraer Legacy 600 The Embraer Legacy 600 is a business jet derivative of the Embraer ERJ family of commercial jet aircraft. Design and development The Legacy 600 (market designation adopted after 2005) is based on the ERJ-135 model. It was launched in 2000 at ...

and four 20 seater Embraer 145 aircraft were inducted into the squadron to replace the HS-748 Avro transports. Each Embraer 135 is equipped with missile-deflecting systems, modern flight management systems including global positioning system configuration, as well as category II instrument landing system. These aircraft cost the IAF ₹1.4 billion (US$20 million) each. Mil Mi-17 V-5 The Mil Mi-17 V-5 is currently used to ferry VVIPs and OEPs within the country. The old and ageing Mi-8 helicopters were retired in 2017 and replaced with the newer, more advanced Mi-17 V-5 helicopters. In February 2010, the UPA-led government had signed a contract worth €556 million for 12 new AgustaWestland AW-101 helicopters for VVIP transport. This deal was scrapped by the NDA-led government in January 2014, on allegations of bribery. In 2014, approval was given by the Ministry of Defence for the "conversion" of six ilitaryMi-17 V-5s to VVIP helicopters, to replace the old Mi-8s. The conversion was carried out at the IAF base repair depot (3 BRD), Chandigarh. On 8 December 2021, a Mi-17 V-5 was lost in an incident in the Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu. The helicopter carrying Chief of Defence Staff

General Bipin Rawat Bipin Rawat (16 March 1958 – 8 December 2021) was an Indian military officer who was a four-star general of the Indian Army. He served as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 until his death ...

, his wife and other military personnel crashed near

Coonoor Coonoor (), is a taluk and a municipal town of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494. The town sits at the south-east corner of the Nilgiri plateau, and at the head of the Coonoo ...

while flying from

Sulur Air Force Station Sulur Air Force Station is an air base of the Indian Air Force located at Sulur near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. It is operated by the Southern Air Command and is the second largest air base of the Indian Air Force after the Hindon Air Force ...

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

where the CDS was scheduled to visit the

Defence Services Staff College The Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) is a defence service training institution of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It trains officers of all three services of the Indian Armed Forces – (Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air ...

. General Rawat, his wife and all except one of the 14 personnel on board the helicopter were killed. A week later, one of the pilots, the lone survivor of the crash, succumbed to his injuries in hospital. File:Air India One Chennai.png, IAF Boeing 777-300ER Special Extra Section Flight File:Air India One 737.jpg, IAF Boeing 737 BBJ '''Rajhans File:Gagandoot IAF bird ERJ-135 K3604 (24647428233).jpg, IAF Embraer Legacy 600 (Embraer 135BJ) '''Gagandoot File:IAF Mi 17 V5 at Aero India 2013.JPG, IAF Mil Mi-17 helicopter (combat version)

Historical fleet

(1947–48) *

North American Harvard The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft, which was used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Ro ...

(''variant of the''

North American T-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft, which was used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Ro ...

) (1947–68) *

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

(1948–67) *

De Havilland Devon The de Havilland DH.104 Dove is a British short-haul airliner developed and manufactured by de Havilland. The design, which was a monoplane successor to the pre-war Dragon Rapide biplane, came about from the Brabazon Committee report which, am ...

(1948–78) *

Ilyushin Il-14 The Ilyushin Il-14 (NATO reporting name: Crate) is a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft that first flew in 1950 in aviation, 1950, and entered service in 1954. The Il-14 was also manufactured in East ...

(1955–67) *

(1956–62) *

De Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteo ...

(1956–62) * Hawker Siddeley HS-748 ''Avro'' (1964-2005) *

(1966–81) *

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retained the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating ...

(1983-2009) *

Mil Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union, Soviet Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in the 1960s and introduced into the ...

(1983-2017) *

Boeing 747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747. The ''Advanced Series 300'' was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, target ...

(1996-2024) File:IJ-817 Indian Air Force DC-3 Dakota at BAF Museum. (23332524644).jpg, IAF Douglas DC-3 ''Dakota'' File:KN397 DC3 Indian air force Historic Flight CVT 31-05-2017 (34813506940).jpg, Indian Air Force Historic Flight Douglas DC-3 ''Dakota'' File:ID606 De Havilland Vampire NF.54 Indian Air Force (8447284877).jpg, IAF DeHavilland Vampire File:Indian Air Force Hindustan HAL-748 Srs2M-LFD Vyas-1.jpg, IAF Hawker Siddeley HS-748 ''Avro'' File:V644 Tupolev Tu.124 Indian Air Force (8447281393).jpg, IAF Tupolev Tu-124 File:Boeing 737-2A8-Adv, India - Air Force AN1165786.jpg, IAF Boeing 737-200 '''Rajdoot File:IAF Mi 8 for VIP Transport at Aero India 2013.JPG, IAF Mil Mi-8 helicopter

References

{{Indian Air Force Indian Air Force aircraft squadrons Air transport of heads of state

Components

History

Fleet

Historical fleet

See also

References