Sulur Air Force Station is an

air base An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

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 ...

located at

Sulur Sulur is a town located in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a suburb of Coimbatore. It is the headquarters of Sulur Taluk of Coimbatore district. There are many market places and many big retail and wholesale shops are avail ...

near

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 ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. 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 Station. The base is tasked with protecting the coasts of

Southern India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. The base is home to the No. 5 Base Repair Depot and No. 43 Wing of the Indian Air Force. It also serves as one of the operating bases of

Garud Commando Force The Garud Commando Force is the special forces of the Indian Air Force. It was formed on 6 February 2004 and with a plan to have around 2,000-personnel strength. The unit derives its name from ''Garuda'', a Hindu deity. Garud forces are tasked ...

, the

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

unit of the Air Force. The airbase accommodates a fleet of Antonov An-32

transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes: * Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service * Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...

Mil Mi-17 The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories in Russia, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russ ...

transport helicopter A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to maintaining supply ...

HAL Dhruv The HAL Dhruv () is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in November 1984. The helicopter first flew in 1992; its development was prolonged due to multiple factors including the Indian Army's requ ...

utility helicopters of the

Sarang display team Sarang is an aerobatic air display team of the Indian Air Force. Formally established as the No. 151 Helicopter Unit in 2005, the unit flies five modified HAL Dhruv helicopters and is based out of Sulur Air Force Station near Coimbatore in Ta ...

, and

HAL Tejas The HAL Tejas () is an Indian single-engine, delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole Military aircraft, combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for t ...

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

. It is the only air force station in India which hosts fighters, transport planes, helicopters,

microlights Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...

, and

paragliders Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness or in ...

at a single venue. The base also hosts repair and overhauling depots, maintenance and storage hangars for aircraft, a flying school and a Type Training School (TETTRA) of the Air Force. The base was established as a transit base for the Allied forces during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was taken over by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

after the war. After Indian Independence, the base was used by the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

. In 1956, it was taken over by the Indian Air Force.

History

The Sulur air base was established in the early 1940s by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

as RNAS Sulur to serve as a transit base for the Allied forces during the

. The air field was commissioned in 1942 as a

base under the South East Asian Command. The base was burnt down during the Quit India Movement of 1942. It was later handed over to the Royal Navy and was known as HMS Vairi in 1945. The

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British Raj, British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the British Indian Army, and the Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The ...

also started operating from the base. As per Royal Navy report from 1945, the airbase had nine aircraft standing areas, four aprons, 16 aircraft pens, and storage hangars, apart from attached fuel stations, armory, and officer accommodation. Post Indian independence in 1947, the

took over the base and established

INS Hansa INS Hansa, is an Indian naval air station located near Dabolim in Goa, India. Data current as of October 2006. It is India's biggest naval airbase. The military air base has a civil enclave, that operates as Dabolim Airport. History ''INS ...

. In 1956, the

took over the station. It was converted it into a repair station for aircraft and the No. 5 Base Repair Depot (5 BRD) was established at the station. In 1964, the Air Force established a hangars for storage of aircraft, and accommodation for non-commissioned officers. The No.33 Equipment Depot (ED) was commissioned at the airbase in 1967, and the station undertook maintenance and overhaul of Folland Gnats and Avro HS 748 aircraft of the Air Force. The air base provided support for the Indian military operations during the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

in 1971. The No.43 Wing of the Indian Air Force was established at Sulur on 14 October 1985, and took over part of the assets from the No.5 BRD unit. It served as a support base during the deployment of the

Indian Peace Keeping Force Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lanka ...

in Sri Lanka in 1987. In November 2010, the station became one of the field bases for the

, an elite special force of the Indian Air Force. Since 2017, the airbase is engaged structural and engine repairs, overhaul, and maintenance of LRUs for the trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force. It has also assisted in rescue operations such as during the

2018 Kerala floods On 16 August 2018, severe floods affected the south Indian state Kerala, due to unusually heavy rainfall during the monsoon season. It was the worst flood in Kerala in nearly a century. Over 483 people died, and about one million people were e ...

. In August 2023, a Type Training School (TETTRA) of the Air Force was established at the base. In 2024, the station hosted the first phase of

Exercise Tarang Shakti Exercise Tarang Shakti is a biennial multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force. The first edition of the exercise, previously planned in 2023, was held in August and September 2024. An estimated 150 aircraft participated in ...

, the largest multinational air force exercise held in India. The air forces of France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom took part in the exercise from 6 August to 14 August. In May 2025, an unidentified man hailing from

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

entered the base premises.He was apprehended by the IAF and handed over to the

state police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...

Infrastructure

Sulur Air Force Station is located in

near

, and is operated by the Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force. Spread across an area of , It is the second largest air base of the Indian Air Force after the Hindon Air Force Station, and is responsible for protecting the coasts of

. The airfield has a single long runway designated as 05/23. It is equipped with a category II Instrument Landing System. The base also houses facilities for radio communications, and a transportable

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

. The airbase is equipped with a multi

Doppler radar A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target and analyzing how the object's motion has altered the fre ...

for weather services. It has several hangars for the storage of aircraft. The airport also houses a aircraft maintenance and overhaul facility and serves as the base for the No. 5 Base Repair Depot (BRD). It also has facilities for the overhaul, repair, testing and calibration of equipment required for the air force. The base hosts the No.24 Type Training School (TETTRA) of the Air Force, and No.610 unit of the elite Garud Commando Force.

Operational aircraft

While operating for the Royal Navy, the base initially hosted

such as Beechcraft Expeditor C-2 and At-7,

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), R ...

Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish is a retired biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was a ...

Stinson Reliant The Stinson Reliant is a popular single-engine four- to five-seat high-wing monoplane manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Company, Stinson Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Wayne, Michigan. Design and development ...

Supermarine Walrus The Supermarine Walrus is a British single-engine Amphibious aircraft, amphibious biplane designed by Supermarine's R. J. Mitchell. Primarily used as a maritime patrol aircraft, it was the first British Squadron (aviation), squadron-service ai ...

, and

Sea Otter The sea otter (''Enhydra lutris'') is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between , making them the heaviest members of ...

that were moved from the facility in Coimbatore. Later in 1945, the base was equipped with

Fairey Barracuda The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy to be fabricated entirely from metal. The Barra ...

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the World War I, First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carryin ...

s. Post Indian Independence, the Indian Navy operated

Hawker Sea Hawk The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design originat ...

, Breguet Alize, and

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 ...

aircraft from the airfield, before they were shifted to Dabolim AFS in 1961. After the No.43 Wing was established in 1985, the No. 18 Squadron IAF was moved to Sulur in January 1985. It operated

Folland Gnat The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic aircraft, subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical comb ...

s out of the airbase till February 1988. The No. 109 Helicopter Unit, which operated

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 ...

helicopters, was moved from Jammu AFS to Sulur on 4 June 1987 and was named as "The Knights". The No. 119 Helicopter Unit operated Mil-8 helicopters from the airbase from February 1989 to May 1990. The No. 33 Squadron IAF, which operated Antonov An-32 transport aircraft, moved to Sulur in June 1991. It was suspended in July 1992. The base hosted a detachment of No. 11 squadron consisting of

Avro 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 ...

aircraft was hosted at the base from August 1992 to September 1996. The No. 33 squadron ("Himalayan Geese") was resurrected in March 2000 with An-32 aircraft. In 2008, the Chief of Air Staff indicated that the station would become the base for the indigenous developed

multirole combat aircraft A multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) is a combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include air to air combat, air support, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air def ...

in 2010. The base hosted

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...

and

in the late 2000s. In February 2016, the Mil-8 helicopters of the No. 109 Helicopter Unit were replaced by

s. The

which was established as No. 151 Helicopter Unit in 2005, was moved from

Yelahanka Air Force Station The Yelahanka Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force airfield in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The main role of this airfield is to train pilots to fly transport planes. This station also conducts type-conversion of navigators on the Antonov An-32. ...

to Sulur in 2009. The team operated modified

s for aerobatic display. In July 2018, the No. 45 Squadron IAF ("Flying Daggers") was established with a fleet of HAL Tejas aircraft. On 27 May 2020, a second squadron of Tejas aircraft was added as a part of the No. 18 Squadron ("Flying Bullets"). The squadron was later moved to

Naliya Air Force Station Naliya Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is located in Naliya in Gujarat, India. It is about 90 km from Sir Creek that forms the border with Pakistan. It lies on National Highway 41 or NH 41. It is about 90 km from Bhu ...

in September 2024.

References

External links

{{Indian Air Force Indian Air Force bases Airports in Tamil Nadu 1940 establishments in British India Military installations established in 1940 20th-century architecture in India