No. 223 Squadron IAF

No. 223 Squadron
Badge of No. 223 Squadron IAF"The Tridents"
Active	10 May 1982 — July 1989 February 1990 — Present
Country	Republic of India
Branch	Indian Air Force
Role	Fighter
Garrison/HQ	AFS Srinagar
Nickname(s)	"Tridents"
Motto(s)	Vijayastra Amoghastra Weapon for Victory
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Mig-29UPG

No. 223 Squadron (Tridents) is a fighter squadron and is equipped with MiG-29UPG and based at srinagar AFS.^[1]

History

223 Squadron IAF was formed on 10 May 1982. It was the first Squadron in the IAF to be equipped with MiG-23 MF. The Squadron had the unique distinction of operating MiG-23s from Leh airport one of the highest airfields a fighter has ever operated from. The Squadron was christened The Swing Wing Interceptors in accordance with the aircraft it operated then.

In May 1989, the phasing out of MiG-23s started. Induction of the MiG-29s commenced in early 1990 and within a few months the Squadron had its full complement of aircraft and was fully operational. Since the swing wing was no more applicable the Squadron changed its nickname to Tridents.^[2]

The squadron's crest shows the striking end of "Trident". As per Indian history, this three pronged weapon, is Lord Shiva's powerful weapon. He is also known as the God of destruction.^[3]

The squadron was moved to Srinagar after the decommissioning of No. 51 Squadron.^[4]

Aircraft

Aircraft Types operated by 223 Squadron^[5]^[6]

Aircraft Type	From	To	Air Base
MiG-23 MF	10 May 1982	July 1989	AFS Adampur
MiG-29 UPG	February 1990	July 2023
	August 2023	Present	AFS Srinagar[4]

References

1. "Squadrons and Helicopter Units". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
2. Pike, John. "Squadron 223". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
3. Pike, John. "Squadron 37". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
4. "India Deploys New Fighter Jet Squadron In Srinagar To Counter Pak, China". NDTV. 12 August 2023.
5. "No.223 Squadron Tridents". Retrieved 2 January 2022.
6. "India for peace, but will use might to protect itself: President Ram Nath Kovind". Hindustan Times. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2022.