Surya Kiran Set for European Debut at Athens Flying Week 2026

Unless another European appearance is announced before September, Athens Flying Week will mark the team’s first display in Europe. Surya Kiran has previously performed across India, Asia and the Middle East, including appearances in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, China and the United Arab Emirates, but the team has never performed in Europe before.

That makes this far more than another international team joining the Athens line-up. European crowds have seen plenty of Hawks over the years, but never nine Indian Air Force Hawk Mk.132s arriving together in Surya Kiran’s unmistakable red-and-white colours.

From the Kiran to the Hawk

Surya Kiran, meaning “Rays of the Sun,” was formed in 1996 at Bidar Air Force Station and is operated by No. 52 Squadron, known as “The Sharks.”

The team initially flew the Indian-built HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2. Starting with four aircraft, it quickly expanded to six before presenting its first nine-aircraft formation during India’s Independence Day celebrations in 1998.

The original team became one of the Indian Air Force’s most recognisable public faces, but flying ended after Aero India 2011 as the service needed its ageing Kirans for training.

Surya Kiran returned in 2015 with the Hawk Mk.132, the Indian version of the BAE Systems Hawk advanced jet trainer. Twenty aircraft were allocated and modified for the role, allowing the team to rebuild towards the large formations for which it had become known.

The Hawk also gives the Athens appearance an interesting European connection. Developed in Britain, the aircraft remains closely associated with European military flying, but the Mk.132 is an Indian version assembled under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and adapted for Indian Air Force requirements.

Surya Kiran therefore brings a familiar aircraft in a form, colour scheme and nine-ship formation that European airshow crowds have never seen before.

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Nine Hawks and a Proper Formation Routine

Surya Kiran’s display is built around nine-aircraft formation flying, with the Hawks moving between diamonds, arrows and more elaborate shapes.

The opening part of the routine focuses on close formation work before the display opens out into breaks, opposition passes, crosses and solo manoeuvres.

The Hawk is not a small or lightweight aerobatic aircraft, and nine of them flying together gives the routine a heavier and more powerful appearance than many smaller jet teams.

Tanagra should suit the display well. Athens Flying Week’s large display area gives the team plenty of space to position its formations while still presenting them clearly to the crowd.

European crowds have seen plenty of Hawks, but never nine Indian Air Force Hawk Mk.132s arriving together in Surya Kiran’s red-and-white colours.

Two Very Different Smoke Systems

One of Surya Kiran’s most unusual features is its ability to produce smoke in two different ways.

The most distinctive system uses modified underwing smoke pods. These can produce coloured trails, including the saffron, white and green of the Indian flag.

Because the smoke comes from beneath the wings, each aircraft can leave two clearly separated trails. Across a nine-aircraft formation, this creates a broad wall of smoke that looks completely different from the single trail normally seen behind most European display teams.

Surya Kiran’s Hawks can also produce smoke through a more conventional system at the rear of the aircraft.

This works on the same basic principle used by the Red Arrows. Smoke fluid is injected into the hot engine exhaust, where it vaporises before condensing into the dense trail seen behind the aircraft. Coloured dye can be added when coloured smoke is required.

This creates the narrower central trail normally associated with jet aerobatic teams. Surya Kiran can therefore switch between conventional engine-exhaust smoke and the much wider twin trails created by its underwing pods.

Very few teams use both systems, and seeing them across a full nine-aircraft formation should be one of the most distinctive parts of the Athens display.

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A Rare Indian Air Force Deployment

Moving a nine-aircraft team from India to Greece is a major deployment in itself.

The Hawks will require several fuel stops, technical support, spare parts and transport aircraft to carry the team’s ground crews and equipment. It is a far bigger operation than sending a single fast-jet display aircraft, especially over such a long distance.

That helps explain why Surya Kiran has remained such a rare sight outside India. The team has performed abroad before, but most of its international appearances have remained within Asia or the Middle East.

Its arrival at Tanagra will therefore offer a rare chance to see not only the team, but a part of the Indian Air Force that has never previously appeared on the European airshow circuit.

Two Unusual International Teams for Athens

Surya Kiran will not be the only unusual national team travelling to Tanagra in 2026.

The United Arab Emirates Air Force’s Fursan Al Emarat will also return to Athens Flying Week with its new Hongdu L-15E aircraft, replacing the Aermacchi MB-339NATs used during the team’s previous visit to Greece in 2023.

The seven-aircraft team revealed its new Chinese-built jets at Dubai Airshow in November 2025, marking its first change of aircraft since the team began displaying publicly in 2011.

The L-15E is a twin-engine, fly-by-wire advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft developed by Hongdu in China. It is a very different aircraft from the MB-339 and remains an extremely unusual sight at a European airshow, particularly as part of a full seven-aircraft national team.

Athens will not be the L-15 team’s European debut. Fursan Al Emarat is due to appear at the Farnborough International Airshow in July before travelling to Greece, while a further appearance is confirmed at Jesolo Air Show in Italy on 11–12 September.

It will, however, be the team’s first Greek display with the L-15E and its first return to Tanagra since leaving the MB-339 behind.

Surya Kiran and Fursan Al Emarat will bring two very different aircraft to Athens. One will arrive with nine Indian-built versions of a familiar British trainer, while the other will present seven Chinese-built jets that have barely been seen on the European circuit.

Getting either team would be a strong international booking. Having both at the same event gives Athens Flying Week two of the most exotic national aerobatic teams due to appear anywhere in Europe during 2026.

A Major Confirmation for Athens

Athens Flying Week has built a reputation for attracting military participants that are difficult to see elsewhere in Europe.

Held at the operational Tanagra Air Base, the event combines modern fast jets, national display teams and a large military static display in one of the strongest airshow settings in southern Europe.

The event returns on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 2026, and Surya Kiran already stands out as one of the biggest confirmations for the weekend.

A nine-ship Indian Air Force team travelling all the way from India would be a major addition to any European airshow. At Athens, alongside Fursan Al Emarat’s new Hongdu L-15Es, it gives the event an international pairing unlike anything else currently announced in Europe.

For European enthusiasts, Surya Kiran offers a rare opportunity to see nine Indian-built Hawks, close formation flying and one of the most unusual smoke systems used by any military aerobatic team.

Unless another European date is announced first, Athens Flying Week 2026 will host Surya Kiran’s European debut.