Remembering the Gnat
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Oct ... 795824.asp
Bangalore : State-owned aviation major, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is all set to celebrate the golden jubilee of Gnat, perhaps the lightest, smallest and most lethal combat- proven jet in the history of fighter aviation.
Incidentally, the IAF was the only Air Force in the world to employ the Gnat in combat.
On September 2, 1965 – Pakistani F-86 Sabre Jet pilots, heady with the success of having shot down IAF Vampire aircraft the previous day and convinced of their superiority from Sabre exploits during the Korean war, were rudely shaken when they came face to face with the IAF Gnats. They were outdone in all the aspects of aerial combat.
The ‘Sabre Slayers’, as the Gnats came to be known, were more than a match for the PAF intruders during wars in 1965 and 1971, so much so that the PAF pilots tried to evade combat when confronted by this tiny warrior.
The Gnats undoubtedly became a household word during both the conflicts – a fitting reminder of those days being the postage stamp issued by a grateful nation and the fact that the only Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awarded to the IAF was to a Gnat pilot. As part of the golden jubilee of the first flight of the Gnat in India, HAL has arranged an event called ‘Vignettes of the Development and Operation of the Gnat.”
This will be hosted by Senior Officers of HAL on November 21, 2008 at the HAL Ghatge Convention Centre, Airport Road, Bangalore.