Javelins at Kalaikunda
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Javelins at Kalaikunda
Please can anyone identify the RAF javelin pilots in these photos............a tall order I know going back to 1963.
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Javelin history
*7/1959: Converted to FAW.9.
*4/1960: 19MU
*5/1960: 23 Squadron, at RAF Horsham-Saint Faith as "D".
*7/1962: Converted to FAW.9R.
*12/1962: 64 Squadron, at RAF Duxford as "Y".
*6/1967: 60 Squadron, at RAF Tengah, Singapore as "V".
*12/1/1968: Struck off charge in Singapore, later used as a ground trainer at Changi AB as “SAFTECH-6“, later scrapped.
Hope that narrows down your search. I think that quite a few of the Hunter pilots are Indian Air Force and possibly also one or two in the Javelin photo.
64 Sqn had an incident on the 5th Nov 63 with a Javelin overshooting the runway after an abandoned take off at Kalaikunda. The Sqn moved from Duxford to be the sister Sqn of Sixty at Tengah.
The 64 Sqn archives must be accessible somewhere.
For the Hunter, there were two resident Indian Hunter sqns that had a white disc in that position. No14 Bulls Sqn IAF is my best guess based on the size of the circle, the other which had a larger disc was the Indian Hunter OCU. It is a pity that no detail beyond a white circle is evident.
*7/1959: Converted to FAW.9.
*4/1960: 19MU
*5/1960: 23 Squadron, at RAF Horsham-Saint Faith as "D".
*7/1962: Converted to FAW.9R.
*12/1962: 64 Squadron, at RAF Duxford as "Y".
*6/1967: 60 Squadron, at RAF Tengah, Singapore as "V".
*12/1/1968: Struck off charge in Singapore, later used as a ground trainer at Changi AB as “SAFTECH-6“, later scrapped.
Hope that narrows down your search. I think that quite a few of the Hunter pilots are Indian Air Force and possibly also one or two in the Javelin photo.
64 Sqn had an incident on the 5th Nov 63 with a Javelin overshooting the runway after an abandoned take off at Kalaikunda. The Sqn moved from Duxford to be the sister Sqn of Sixty at Tengah.
The 64 Sqn archives must be accessible somewhere.
For the Hunter, there were two resident Indian Hunter sqns that had a white disc in that position. No14 Bulls Sqn IAF is my best guess based on the size of the circle, the other which had a larger disc was the Indian Hunter OCU. It is a pity that no detail beyond a white circle is evident.
Last edited by Tiger_mate; 17th Oct 2013 at 07:23.
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The Javelins were in India from October 63 working with the IAF in wargames against US F100 fighters.
Exercise Shiksha in the eastern sector began on November 9 and ran to November 14, the day that the exercises began in the western sector. The RAF Javelin squadron had been in India since late October. On October 31, RAF and IAF fighters had performed a mock scramble in front of a British dignitary and members of the press. According to The Hindustan Times, the Indian and British personnel based at IAF Kalaikunda seemed excited about the upcoming air exercises.1
Despite the excitement, the exercises got off to a rocky start. The first phase of the exercise was a day-long interception drill in which IAF and RAF pilots attempted to intercept IAF and RAAF bombers. The target aircraft maneuvered within a roughly 1000-square-mile area, between 20,000 and 50,000 feet elevation. The defending aircraft intercepted relatively few of the attacking planes.2
November 14 was the busiest day of Exercise Shiksha, with air operations running concurrently in both eastern and western sectors. The Indian press reported that nearly 140 fighter aircraft participated in the exercise on that day, flying practice interceptions against fifty Canberra bombers. The exercise zone reportedly stretched across north India, from Punjab in the west to West Bengal in the east. From time to time during the day, residents of Delhi caught sight of fighters and bombers above the city.3
The exercises in the western sector took place in two phases, November 14-15 and 17-19. After the first phase, the pilots reviewed the results of their test interceptions and received suggestions for improvement.4 Wg Cdr Donald Michael, the commanding officer of IAF No. 3 Wing, wrote an account of the exercises for the Indian website Bharat Rakshak.5 During the exercise’s mock interceptions, the pilots recorded their interceptions of the target aircraft by exposing a frame of gun camera film. The Indian and US airmen reviewed their gun camera photos during the one-day critique between the two phases of the exercise. As Michael recalled, the IAF pilots had taken several good pictures of the target bombers, but the films from the American planes were blank. The F-100s, armed with Sidewinder missiles, were purportedly capable of shooting down an enemy plane without ever making visual contact with the target.
Exercise Shiksha ended with the last air operations flown in the western sector on November 19, followed by another day of critique and debriefing.6 Gen. Walter J. Sweeney, head of the US Tactical Air Command, visited India on the last day of the exercises. He told the press, “Cooperation between the IAF, USAF, RAF and Australian Air Force appears to have been superb.”7 On the day after air operations ended, the Indian Ministry of Defence released a communique expressing its satisfaction with the training value of the air exercises.8
Exercise Shiksha was the first and only joint air exercise conducted between the Indian and US air forces during the Cold War. Although the original July 1963 air agreement had stated that these exercises would take place periodically for the strengthening of India’s air defenses, Shiksha never had a sequel.9 After the exercises ended in the eastern sector, an Indian Defence Ministry spokesman told the press that there were no talks underway for a repeat joint air exercise.10
Exercise Shiksha in the eastern sector began on November 9 and ran to November 14, the day that the exercises began in the western sector. The RAF Javelin squadron had been in India since late October. On October 31, RAF and IAF fighters had performed a mock scramble in front of a British dignitary and members of the press. According to The Hindustan Times, the Indian and British personnel based at IAF Kalaikunda seemed excited about the upcoming air exercises.1
Despite the excitement, the exercises got off to a rocky start. The first phase of the exercise was a day-long interception drill in which IAF and RAF pilots attempted to intercept IAF and RAAF bombers. The target aircraft maneuvered within a roughly 1000-square-mile area, between 20,000 and 50,000 feet elevation. The defending aircraft intercepted relatively few of the attacking planes.2
November 14 was the busiest day of Exercise Shiksha, with air operations running concurrently in both eastern and western sectors. The Indian press reported that nearly 140 fighter aircraft participated in the exercise on that day, flying practice interceptions against fifty Canberra bombers. The exercise zone reportedly stretched across north India, from Punjab in the west to West Bengal in the east. From time to time during the day, residents of Delhi caught sight of fighters and bombers above the city.3
The exercises in the western sector took place in two phases, November 14-15 and 17-19. After the first phase, the pilots reviewed the results of their test interceptions and received suggestions for improvement.4 Wg Cdr Donald Michael, the commanding officer of IAF No. 3 Wing, wrote an account of the exercises for the Indian website Bharat Rakshak.5 During the exercise’s mock interceptions, the pilots recorded their interceptions of the target aircraft by exposing a frame of gun camera film. The Indian and US airmen reviewed their gun camera photos during the one-day critique between the two phases of the exercise. As Michael recalled, the IAF pilots had taken several good pictures of the target bombers, but the films from the American planes were blank. The F-100s, armed with Sidewinder missiles, were purportedly capable of shooting down an enemy plane without ever making visual contact with the target.
Exercise Shiksha ended with the last air operations flown in the western sector on November 19, followed by another day of critique and debriefing.6 Gen. Walter J. Sweeney, head of the US Tactical Air Command, visited India on the last day of the exercises. He told the press, “Cooperation between the IAF, USAF, RAF and Australian Air Force appears to have been superb.”7 On the day after air operations ended, the Indian Ministry of Defence released a communique expressing its satisfaction with the training value of the air exercises.8
Exercise Shiksha was the first and only joint air exercise conducted between the Indian and US air forces during the Cold War. Although the original July 1963 air agreement had stated that these exercises would take place periodically for the strengthening of India’s air defenses, Shiksha never had a sequel.9 After the exercises ended in the eastern sector, an Indian Defence Ministry spokesman told the press that there were no talks underway for a repeat joint air exercise.10
I was part of the Valiant tankers that refuelled the Javelins out to India. We stayed in Bombay whilst Shiksha was on and then we tanked the Javelins on to Singapore.
There they stayed during Indonesian Confrontation.
There they stayed during Indonesian Confrontation.
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Doug
The first photo appeared in Air Clues of April 1964 and the caption records the four as (L to R) W/C M.S Khanna (C.O. of an Indian AF Hunter squadron), Master Navigator A. Parker and F/L G. Roberts of 64 Squadron and S/L N.S. Malik.
Hope this helps.
Peter
The first photo appeared in Air Clues of April 1964 and the caption records the four as (L to R) W/C M.S Khanna (C.O. of an Indian AF Hunter squadron), Master Navigator A. Parker and F/L G. Roberts of 64 Squadron and S/L N.S. Malik.
Hope this helps.
Peter
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I was an Air Radar Fitter with 64 Squadron when we were detached from Binbrook to Kalaikunda. In India, Royal Navy Buccaneers also took part in the exercise, successfully attacking Kalaikunda airfield, apparently undetected. We were told that the IAF had a hangar of MIG21's which remained locked away, since the Soviets didn't want Brits or Americans getting close to their latest technology. This left the IAF flying their older Hunters with only daylight operational capability. Our Javelins flew alone on defensive duty after dark. This must have made the exercise must have been of limited value to the IAF. My lasting memory is cleaning my teeth using a can of lager because the essential water tablets were so unpleasant. From India, 64 Squadron did head to RAF Tengah, Singapore, on anti-Sukarno duty. I remained with 64 until March 1967. Thoughtlessly, the Squadron has its Summer Ball on the 30th July, 1966. I, along with about 50 squadron members, spent the evening in Raffles Hotel car park listening to the World Cup Final on short-wave radio. Extra time meant that we even missed the last waltz.
