Crest: The crest And the motto for No11 sqn, AF were chosen when the sqn moved to Jorhat in 1961.Besides the three lions structure taken from the pillar of Ashoka And a wreath of flowers, the crest contains the picture of the one horned Rhino. It also has the sqn motto written at the bottom, which is ‘VISHVAMBARAH PRANDAH’. The Rhinoceros was chosen as it is famed for its indomitable courage, superlative strength And the ability to stand tall amidst Any calamity. The famed one horned Rhinoceros has made its abode in the Kaziranga sanctuary for thousands of years now. Thus it was apt that the Rhino was chosen to represent the No. 11 sqn, as it was to become the backbone of the transport fleet of Indian Air Force.

Motto: The motto ‘VISHVAMBARAH PRANDAH’ has been taken from Sanskrit, which means ‘Supporters of the Universe’. The sqn has amply lived up to this motto during its glorious service to the nation. It started the Car-Nicobar courier in 1956. it has rendered yeoman service during peace maintaining three detachments, namely one at Srinagar for TSR in the Northern forward area, one at Jorhat for air maintenance in the North East And one at Jodhpur for operations in SWAC. The sqn has undertaken flood And earthquake relief operations in India as aid to civil powers. It has actively participated in all the three wars that India has fought, apart from the operations in Sri Lanka during OP Pawan And OP SAFED SAGAR during Kargil ops And once again during the ongoing OP PRAKRAM. Thus the squadron’s crest And motto have become symbol of its ethos.

Brief History: On 15 Nov 51, 11 Squadron was formed at Barrackpore with a complement of 10 Dakota MK III And MK IV aircraft. Squadron Leader P Mehta was the first commanding Officer of the Squadron. The `One-horned Rhino' was chosen as the Squadron emblem when the Squadron moved to Jorhat in Feb 1961.

The Squadron operated Dakota MK III And MK IV aircraft till Apr 79 when HS-748 aircraft were inducted. A mixed fleet of Dakota And HS-748 aircraft remained in the Squadron till the last Dakota was ferried out on 17 Jul 80. An-32 aircraft were later inducted in Jan 96 at Sulur And HS-748 aircraft were fully replaced by Aug 96. On re-establishment at Baroda in Mar 2000, the Squadron has been re-equipped with HS-748 aircraft.

The history of the Squadron is one of growth from strength to strength in its glorious service to the nation during both war And peace. The squadron has operated ceaselessly in all kinds of terrain with true courage, grit, determination, dedication And professionalism. In recognition of its immense And immeasurable contribution to the nation, the Squadron was awarded the Presidents' standard on 18 Mar 1985. During all these years of operational And training flying over the entire Indian Sub-continent And even overseas, the Squadron has maintained An exceptional level of performance encompassing a high state of operational readiness, keen professional standards And above all, a very high state of morale.

From its very inception, the Squadron has been at the forefront of every transport operation in the IAF. Following are the major operations undertaken by the Squadron over the years:

(a) The Squadron started the Car Nicobar Courier in support of the defence And civil element at Car Nicobar in 1956.

(b) During the Chinese aggression in 1962, the Squadron carried out close air support Ops extensively in NEFA (Present Arunachal Pradesh). The Squadron flew a record 11,887 hours during these operations.

(c) In the 1965 War with Pakistan, the Squadron was actively engaged in TSR Ops.

(d) The squadron was once again in the thick of battle in the 1971 war with Pakistan. The proudest moment for the Squadron came on 11 Dec 1971 when 22 Dakota ac were employed to airdrop 423 troops over Tangail. Since then, the Tangail Airdrop, has become a permanent feature in Military History books.

(e) During the mid-seventies, the Squadron supported the Indian Army engaged in CI operations against Anti-national elements in Nagaland.

(f) The Squadron carried out high altitude operations in the Ladakh Sector from 1979 till 1986. During these years, the Squadron carried out extensive Air maintenance in support of the troops deployed on the Northern frontiers.

(g) During OP Pawan in 1987, the Squadron was employed in Communication Duties, TSR And Cas-evac duties for the entire period of the Operations.

(h) The Squadron played An active role in Op Safed Sagar in 1999. It provided valuable support by inducting troops, arms And ammunition for Kargil Operations.

(j) During OP Vayu Sahayata, undertaken in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Gujrat on 26 Jan 2001, the Squadron flew 205 hours airlifting 200 Tones of relief material And 1492 passengers, earning kudos from civil And state agencies.

(k) The sqn is actively involved in the ongoing Op PARAKRAM. Consequent to the declaration of APM in Dec 2001, the unit has undertaken all assigned tasks in a timely And professional manner to the utmost satisfaction of all concerned. The unit has flown a total of 1130 hours towards Op PARAKRAM till 30 Jun 2002.

In its short stay at Baroda, the Squadron has already earned laurels from one And all. The HS-748 ac of the squadron have become a familiar sight in the SWAC Sector. The sqn has been adjudged the best sqn for the year2001 among all transport And helicopter units in SWAC, IAF.