The Eastern Air Command responsible for safeguarding the air space over the Northeastern states and part of Bay of Bengal including international boundary with Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, is now all set to establish the first Archery Range in the IAF

Samareshu Parakram is the motto of Eastern Air Command and this propels officials to accept all challenges that come on their way to victory. The Eastern Air Command (EAC) is located at Shillong, Meghalaya and is responsible for safeguarding the enormous air space over the Northeastern states and part of the Bay of Bengal covering over 3 lakh sq km, 11 states and 6,300 km long international boundary with Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

In 1959, when the Eastern Air Command came into existence, it had only a few formations like Air Force Station Kalaikunda and Air Force Station Barrackpore in West Bengal, Air Force Station Jorhat and No. 5 Air Force Hospital at Jorhat in Assam and No. 3 Tactical Air Centre at Siliguri, West Bengal. But the command grew steadily between December 1959 and October 1962 when the nation’s overall security situation was changing rapidly. As China flooded the borders with its troops, India felt the need to strengthen its defences. In order to fortify the Indian position in the North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA), which is now Arunachal Pradesh, the Command increased its war potential by raising more bases, inducting more operational units, and strategically locating them in its area of responsibility. Today, Eastern Air Command has more than 24 stations and about 121 formations and units under its wings.

As demand on the EAC kept increasing, so did its size and strength. Its role continued to evolve and the quality of its air assets also improved. The Eastern Air Command took active part in the three major wars that the country was involved.

EAC during Sino-Indian and Indo-Pak War: The Sino-Indian War in 1962 had startled India with a surprise and massive offensive launched by China in the NEFA and Ladakh region, simultaneously. The EAC rose to the occasion in support of the Indian Army by undertaking air maintenance support including induction of troops in the forward areas using light transport aircraft and helicopters. Aircraft C-119 Packets, Dakotas, IL-14s and Mi-4 helicopters flew much above the ceiling limits over the mountain ranges with heavy loads. The skill and endurance of the transport and the helicopter pilots were tested to the limits in the absence of proper landing grounds and unpredictable weather.

During the September 1965 hostilities between India and Pakistan, the Hunters and Toofanis of EAC were dispatched to the Western sector where they took part in the operations and provided extensive support to the Army.

Likewise, during the third Indo-Pak War in 1971, which resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh, the entire air operations in the Eastern Sector was controlled by EAC and brought its offensive nature to the fore. With the commencement of hostilities on December 3, the IAF launched a swift attack by bombing Tezgaon and Kurmitola Airfields in East Pakistan in day and night operations. During these operations, seven Pak Sabres were shot down by Indian Gnats which resulted in total air superiority over the region. The lightening campaign saw EAC use its varied air assets like the MiG-21s, Gnats, Hunters, etc effectively to subdue the enemy forces. The massive airborne operation of dropping 50 Para Brigade and its entire supporting arms at Tangail and pinpoint attacks on the Governor’s House at Dacca were instrumental in breaking the proverbial back of the enemy resistance and forcing them to finally surrender on December 15, 1971.

In addition to these wars, the Squadrons from EAC were deployed in IPKF Operations in Sri Lanka and in Operation Cactus in Maldives in the late 1980s.

EAC has been the Mecca of fighter training. Whether it was Hunter aircraft or MiG-21 aircraft, various units in EAC have trained hundreds of fighter pilots in the Operational Conversion Training.