The Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) will perform a special aerobatic display over the Somnath Temple coastline on May 10 and 11, as part of the 75th‑anniversary celebrations of the reconstructed Jyotirlinga shrine.
The six‑aircraft Hawk Mk‑132 jet formation will fly over the seafront of Somnath, executing tightly coordinated aerial manoeuvres that will be visible to devotees, visitors, and aviation enthusiasts gathered along the coast.
Formed in 1996, SKAT is one of the few military aerobatic teams in the world and has conducted more than 800 displays across India and abroad, including at major international air shows in Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, and the UAE.
The team operates licence‑manufactured Hawk aircraft built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and is currently led by Group Captain Ajay Dasarathi, a Su‑30 MKI pilot, with Wing Commander Tejeshwar Singh as deputy leader.
For these Somnath Amrut Mahotsav air shows, the SKAT jets have been fitted with indigenous coloured smoke pods developed at the Indian Air Force’s base repair depot in Nashik, enabling them to trail saffron, white, and green plumes during their formations.
The defence PRO has described the event as both a technical spectacle and a symbolic gesture, linking the strength and precision of the Indian Air Force with the spiritual‑national significance of Somnath’s 75‑year restored journey as a beacon of Hindu faith and self‑respect.
