The question asks for the primary pilot of the Indian Air Drive (IAF) who evacuated injured troopers, possible referring to a notable or traditionally important occasion. Primarily based on out there info, together with net sources and the context of IAF operations, no single pilot is explicitly recognized because the “first” to evacuate injured troopers, as casualty evacuation (casevac) has been a core IAF operate since its inception in 1932, significantly throughout World Warfare II, the 1947–48 Kashmir Warfare, and subsequent conflicts. Nevertheless, I can spotlight early IAF pilots and operations involving casualty evacuation to handle the question, specializing in historic context and key figures. Given the partial question, I’ll assume you’re searching for a pioneering determine or occasion tied to IAF casevac missions.
Historic Context of IAF Casualty Evacuation
- IAF Formation: The IAF was established on October 8, 1932, as an auxiliary power of the Royal Air Drive, initially with 4 Westland Wapiti biplanes and a small cadre of pilots for military cooperation duties, together with assist for floor troops.
- Early Roles: From the Nineteen Thirties, IAF pilots carried out reconnaissance, provide drops, and evacuation missions in battle zones like North Waziristan (Nineteen Thirties) and Burma throughout World Warfare II (1941–45), the place transport plane and helicopters later grew to become vital for evacuating injured troopers.
- World Warfare II: The IAF’s No. 1 Squadron, fashioned in 1933, flew Lysanders in Burma by 1942, supporting floor operations with tactical reconnaissance and occasional evacuation of wounded personnel, although particular pilots are not often named for casevac.
- 1947–48 Kashmir Warfare: The IAF’s first main post-independence operation concerned airlifting troops and evacuating casualties in Jammu and Kashmir, utilizing Dakotas and different transport plane. This marked a major casevac position, however no particular person pilot is documented because the “first.”
Potential Candidates for “First Pilot”
No definitive file names the primary IAF pilot to evacuate injured troopers, as casevac was a collective effort involving squadrons slightly than a single documented “first.” Nevertheless, based mostly on early IAF historical past and notable pilots, listed below are key figures and occasions tied to casualty evacuation:
- Air Commodore Mehar Singh (1915–1987):
- Profile: Born in 1915, Mehar Singh joined the Royal Air Drive Faculty Cranwell in 1934 and was commissioned into the IAF in 1936. He earned a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his management within the Burma Marketing campaign throughout World Warfare II, flying Hurricanes with No. 1 Squadron.
- Relevance to Casevac: Through the 1947–48 Kashmir Warfare, Mehar Singh, then a Wing Commander, led No. 1 Squadron and was instrumental in air operations, together with the historic touchdown of a Dakota at Poonch airstrip on November 1947 to airlift troops and evacuate casualties underneath enemy hearth. This was one of many IAF’s earliest and most daring casevac missions post-independence, incomes him the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC). His management in these operations makes him a robust candidate for a pioneering casevac pilot, although not explicitly the “first.”
- Why Notable: Mehar Singh’s Poonch touchdown is well known in IAF lore for its audacity, enabling the evacuation of injured troopers and civilians throughout a vital siege. His position as a commander oversaw a number of casevac missions, per indianairforce.nic.in.
- Marshal of the Air Drive Arjan Singh (1919–2017):
- Profile: Born in 1919, Arjan Singh joined the IAF in 1938, skilled at RAF Cranwell, and flew Hurricanes in World Warfare II’s Burma Marketing campaign, incomes a DFC in 1944 for braveness. He later grew to become the IAF’s first five-star officer.
- Relevance to Casevac: Whereas primarily a fighter pilot, Arjan Singh flew with No. 1 Squadron in Burma (1942–44), supporting floor troops with reconnaissance and provide missions that often included casualty evacuation. Within the 1947–48 Kashmir Warfare, as a squadron chief, he participated in operations the place Dakotas evacuated injured troopers from Leh and Poonch, although he was circuitously famous for piloting casevac flights. His early involvement in IAF operations makes him a candidate, however much less particular to casevac than Mehar Singh.
- Why Notable: Arjan Singh’s management in early IAF operations set the stage for structured casevac missions, although his position was extra strategic than hands-on evacuation.
- Different Early Pilots:
- Hardit Singh Malik (1894–1985): The primary Indian pilot to fly in World Warfare I (1917, Royal Flying Corps), Malik was a fighter pilot flying Sopwith Camels, not concerned in casevac. His position was combat-focused, not evacuation.
- Man Mohan Singh (1906–1942): An early Indian pilot who flew a solo England–India flight in 1930, Singh joined the IAF Volunteer Reserve in World Warfare II, piloting Catalina flying boats. He contributed to rescuing Dutch civilians in Broome, Australia (1942), however this was not a navy casevac mission, and he died in a Japanese assault.
- No. 1 Squadron Pilots (Forties): Throughout World Warfare II and the 1947–48 warfare, unnamed pilots of No. 1 and No. 2 Squadrons flew Lysanders, Hurricanes, and Dakotas, performing casevac missions in Burma and Kashmir. The shortage of particular person data from this period makes pinpointing the “first” difficult.
Earliest Documented Casevac Operations
- World Warfare II (Burma, 1942–45): The IAF’s No. 1 and No. 2 Squadrons, outfitted with Lysanders and later Hurricanes, supported Allied troops in Burma, often evacuating wounded troopers utilizing transport plane just like the Douglas Dakota. These missions had been routine however not attributed to a single pilot.
- 1947–48 Kashmir Warfare: The IAF’s first main casevac effort post-independence occurred through the siege of Poonch (1947), the place Dakotas landed on makeshift airstrips to evacuate injured troopers and civilians. Mehar Singh’s management in these operations, significantly at Poonch, is well-documented, making him the closest match to the question.
- Kargil Warfare (1999): Whereas not the “first,” the IAF’s helicopter fleet, together with Cheetahs and Mi-17s, carried out intensive casevac missions in high-altitude areas like Kargil, evacuating injured troopers underneath enemy hearth. Pilots like Squadron Chief Ajay Ahuja (killed in 1999) supported operations, however no single pilot is famous for casevac.
Why Figuring out the “First” Is Tough
- Collective Effort: Casevac missions contain squadrons, not particular person pilots, and early IAF data (Nineteen Thirties–Forties) give attention to squadrons (e.g., No. 1 Squadron) slightly than naming pilots for routine duties like evacuation.
- Lack of Specificity: Historic accounts prioritize fight or management feats (e.g., Mehar Singh’s Poonch touchdown) over itemizing who flew the primary casevac mission. Transport and helicopter pilots, who usually deal with casevac, are much less celebrated than fighter pilots.
- Evolving Know-how: Early IAF plane like Wapitis and Lysanders weren’t optimized for casevac, limiting such missions till Dakotas and helicopters (post-Forties) grew to become out there.
Conclusion and Advice
No definitive file identifies the first IAF pilot to evacuate injured troopers, as casualty evacuation was an ordinary squadron activity from the IAF’s early days in World Warfare II and the 1947–48 Kashmir Warfare. Air Commodore Mehar Singh is the most certainly candidate attributable to his management within the 1947 Poonch airstrip operations, the place he piloted a Dakota to evacuate injured troopers and civilians throughout a vital siege, incomes the Maha Vir Chakra. His position in one of many IAF’s earliest post-independence casevac missions aligns with the question’s intent. Alternatively, pilots from No. 1 Squadron in Burma (1942–45), equivalent to Arjan Singh, might have carried out earlier casevac missions, however proof is much less particular.
To substantiate the precise “first” pilot, extra particulars (e.g., particular battle, yr, or plane sort) would assist slim the search. Should you’re referring to a specific occasion or have further context (e.g., a current information story or battle just like the 2025 India-Pakistan tensions you talked about), please make clear, and I can refine the reply. For now, I like to recommend exploring Mehar Singh’s biography on indianairforce.nic.in for his Poonch heroics or contacting the IAF’s archives for exact data. Should you’d like me to dig deeper into a particular period or pilot, let me know!
