The Indian Air Force's No. 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, celebrated its platinum jubilee at Air Force Station Ambala on 1 October 2026, exactly 75 years after it was raised. Veterans, serving pilots, and the unit's Rafale jets marked the occasion, along with a special first-day postal cover.
No. 17 Squadron: Quick Facts
Detail | Information |
Formed | 1 October 1951 |
Current base | Ambala Air Force Station |
Aircraft flown | Harvard IIB, Vampire, Hawker Hunter, MiG-21, Rafale |
Combat record | Goa 1961, 1965 and 1971 wars, Kargil 1999, Operation Sindoor 2025 |
First Rafales arrived | 29 July 2020 |
From Harvards to Hunters
Raised with Harvard IIB trainers, the squadron moved to the de Havilland Vampire jet in the mid-1950s and then to the Hawker Hunter. Its Hunters struck the wireless station at Bambolim during the 1961 Goa operation. They flew strikes over East Pakistan in 1971, earning commanding officer Wing Commander Narinder Chatrath the Vir Chakra.
The MiG-21 Era and Kargil
In 1975, the squadron converted to the MiG-21 and moved to Bhisiana, near Bathinda, flying the jet for about 41 years. During Operation Safed Sagar, the IAF's air campaign in the 1999 Kargil war, it flew low-level night bombing missions in narrow Himalayan valleys under Wing Commander BS Dhanoa, at altitudes the MiG-21 was never designed for.
On 27 May 1999, flight commander Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja's MiG-21 was hit by a Stinger missile while he stayed over enemy positions to help locate Flight Lieutenant K. Nachiketa, whose MiG-27 had suffered an engine flameout. Ahuja lost his life and was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra. Dhanoa later rose to become Chief of the Air Staff.
India's First Rafale Squadron
Number-plated in 2016, the squadron was resurrected at Ambala in September 2019 to become the IAF's first Rafale unit. The first five jets landed on 29 July 2020 after a ferry flight from France and were formally inducted that September. According to Dhanoa, the Golden Arrows earned this honour as the most decorated squadron of the Kargil War.
The Tribune reports that the unit added two Vir Chakras, four Vayu Sena Medals and ten Mentions in Despatches during Operation Sindoor in 2025.
Why Does It Matters for Defence Aspirants?
Squadron histories, aircraft inductions and gallantry awards regularly appear in the GK and current affairs sections of NDA, CDS and AFCAT. Formation dates, operation names, and award recipients are worth noting.
For more defence current affairs explained with an exam focus, keep following Major Kalshi Classes (MKC), where our faculty break down the news that matters for your NDA, CDS and AFCAT preparation.
