HQ, South Western Air Command

	MiG-23MF SK-412 is the first air defence variant of the MiG-23 to be preserved for public display at  Chiloda Traffic Circle.  Pic Courtesy : Rahul Devnath
Another view of MiG-23MF SK-412 as seen around the begining of the year.  Pic Courtesy : Rahul Devnath

The Headquarters of South Western Air Command [SWAC] was formed in Jodhpur in Rajasthan in the year 1980. The existing Operational Group was converted into a Command HQ. Recently in 1998, the HQ of SWAC was moved to Gandhinagar near Ahmedabad.  SWAC has under its command, besides the airfield at Jamnagar, supplementary airfields at Bhuj and Nalia in Kutch. It was from Nalia , that in August 1999, an intruding Pakistani Naval Atlantique was shot down by MiG-21bis aircraft of the No.45 Squadron.

For years we have thought that there was a Hunter airframe displayed   at the SWAC HQ in Gandhinagar. Various sources have given the id of the Hunter as A-492.  What has been confirmed, however is the presence of a HAL HF-24 Marut parked just outside the main administrative block, and a MiG-23MF, the first of its kind, on display at a traffic roundabout.

The Air Officer Commanding in Chief of SWAC in 2004, Air Marshal Satish Kumar Jain poses with his staff officers in front of the HF-24 Marut preserved at SWAC HQ.  Pic Courtesy : Sainik Samachar
	A group photo with Air Marshal S P Tyagi in front of the SWAC HQ.   Pic Courtesy : Rahul Devnath

The MiG-23MF SK-412 was installed at the Chiloda Traffic Circle in Gandhinagar towards the begining of 2006. The aircraft was formally inagurated by Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi when he visited the HQ of SWAC on January 17, 2006. Contributor Rahul Devnath was on site to take photographs of the aircraft as it was being prepared for display and these are presented on this page.