Chandigarh: The Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) is scheduled to perform over Sukhna Lake on March 27 and 28, in a public display that will bring one of the service’s most recognisable formations back to the city.

Flying the Hawk Mk132 advanced jet trainers in their distinctive red and white livery, the team is expected to carry out a series of coordinated manoeuvres, including loops, barrel rolls and inverted passes, executed in close formation. The display is likely to draw large crowds along the lakefront, as has been the case during previous visits.

This will be SKAT’s second appearance in Chandigarh within six months. The team last flew here in September 2025 during events marking the end of the MiG-21’s operational career. Earlier, it had participated in the Air Force Day flypast over the city in October 2022.

Raised in 1996, the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team is among a small group of display units globally that operate a nine aircraft formation the largest of its kind, and the only one in Asia. Often described within the service as its public facing arm, the team has, over the years, become a fixture at ceremonial and outreach events.

In nearly three decades of operations, SKAT has flown over 800 displays, both within India and abroad, reflecting the Indian Air Force’s emphasis on precision flying and aerial discipline.