ACM Singh flying a MiG-29UPG. (Photo: Indian Air Force)
New Delhi: The chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, flew an operational formation sortie on a MiG-29UPG fighter aircraft from the Adampur airbase – a forward airbase in Punjab, on Thursday. The Indian Air Force described it as part of its senior leadership’s continuing engagement with frontline units.
The two-aircraft formation was led by Flight Lieutenant Parvinder Singh. Before landing, the formation executed a peel-off manoeuvre over the runway – a standard display of precision formation flying that signals the conclusion of a combat sortie.
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh (R) and Flight Lieutenant Parvinder Singh before embarking on a combat sortie on a MiG-29UPG. (Photo: IAF)
The MiG-29UPG is an upgraded variant of the Soviet-era Mikoyan MiG-29, substantially modernized under an Air Force programme that has extended the platform’s service life and bolstered its combat capabilities. Upgrades include an improved radar, air-to-air refueling capability, and compatibility with a wider range of weapons. The Air Force currently operates the type from several bases, including in the sensitive western sector.
During the visit, the commanding officer of the host squadron, No. 28 Squadron – also called the “First Supersonics”, briefed the air chief on the unit’s operational role and the enhanced capabilities of the upgraded platform. The squadron, inducted in 1963, is approaching 63 years of continuous service – one of the longer-serving combat units in the Air Force.
ACM AP Singh being briefed by officer at a forward base before undertaking a combat sortie on a MiG-29UPG. (Photo: IAF)
ACM Singh also met aircrew, technicians, and ground personnel, acknowledging the role of maintenance and support staff in keeping combat aircraft operationally ready. He separately interacted with veterans from nearby areas.
Visits of this kind by service chiefs to forward bases serve a dual purpose: they allow senior commanders to assess ground-level operational readiness firsthand, and they signal institutional attention to units deployed in strategically sensitive locations.
