Flying High, Fighting Hard: The GARUD Special Forces

GARUD momento

GARUD badge

The IAF Special Force aka the GARUD SF is a creed of elite warriors always ready to take on the most daunting and heart wrenching challenges. The GARUD SF is the dedicated Spec Ops unit of the IAF and one of the three SFs of the Indian Armed Forces, rest two Navy’s MARCOS and Army’s PARA SF. Raised in February 2004 as a specialised force to counter both conventional and unconventional threats, the GARUD SF have evolved from a new raising to a well trained and established SF at present. The GARUDs have seen immense amount of combat, be it in the Kashmir Valley or the Naxal prone jungles of Chhattisgarh. They have always proven their mettle on the battlefield and came out as a very effective force and will continue to do so.

The GARUD SF is specialised in a very vast spectrum of skillsets, some of which are the CCT, TACP, Para Rescue, S&R, etc. These are some of the core specialisations that are very difficult to achieve but on the other hand very necessary for a SF unit like the GARUDs. The IAF SF is also showcasing jointness by improving in these skillsets with the rest of the Tri–services SFs.

GARUD buddy pair

Before moving further, let’s have a look on the inventory of weapons used by the GARUD SF. Some of the weapons currently in service with the IAF SF are:

•Tar–21 assault rifle and variants (CTar, GTar and STar)

• Ak–103 assault rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm catridge

• Sig–716i BAR chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO

• Type–56–1(some rifles are also moded with Israeli FAB Defence mods) assault rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm cartridge

• Glock–26 pistol chambered in 9x19m NATO

• Galil sniper chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO

• Negev NG5 SF LMG chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO

The above mentioned small arms are just a very small glimpse of the IAF SFs weapons and equipment capabilities, the GARUDs have also been using tactical UAVs for specific type of missions.

We conducted an interview during our visit to an establishment of the GARUD SF. Some highlights:

GARUD with G26

Vayu: Where did the requirement for a dedicated Special Forces Unit for the Air Force come from?

Ans: Constant evolution has been a priority for progress in any organisation. Going by these principles, IAF draws lessons from past campaigns, operations and periodically reviews its operational structure, inventory (both human and material) and procedures. The requirement of an organic Special Force was felt post Kargil War and developing security environment in South Asia. IAF decided to create a force that can act as a force multiplier for operations and a robust counter measure to thwart sub–conventional threats. Hence, Garud Force.

Vayu: When and where was the unit raised?

Ans: The first unit, i.e. Garud Regimental Training Centre (GRTC) was raised in AF Stn Mohammedpur on 15 September 2003. First batch of Garuds passed out from this Trg Institute on 5 February 2004. Subsequently, the unit moved to AF Stn Hindan in 2005 and later to its current location. Chandinagar in 2006. The operational units were raised in a phased manner from 2005 onwards.

Vayu: How did the unit perform initially after being raised?

Ans: The question has to be answered in two parts: (a) GRTC, when raised had very limited expertise in imparting training. This is when officers and air warriors from initial batches were trained in other specialised training institutes in India, such as NSG, Commando Schools of CAPFs, Army Commando School, Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, and other institutes offering specialised training on various skills. Expertise gained over the years was refined and customised to meet own requirement, and GRTC became self–sustained in conducting complete Special Forces training pipeline for Garuds since 2015.

(b) As far as operational units are concerned, initial few years were spent on establishing at deployment location, developing initial training programmes and procedures. Operational detachments, that began shortly, and continued thereafter, weapon and equipment configuration, training on newly inducted weapon systems and other specialised equipment, etc were the priorities. In about five to six years, operational deployment and tasking increased as the capability grew.

Vayu: What is the organisational structure of the force?

Ans: The force is structured in small combat units, as is the case with any Special Forces formation, and is deployed across the country based on operational and training requirement.

Vayu: What is the approximate size of the force?

Ans: These are operational details and need not be shared.

GARUD CDOs during Vayu Shakti 2024

Vayu: There was discussion in expanding the force, how much was the force expanded?

Ans: These are operational details and need not be shared.

Vayu: We’ve seen Garud Force members with modern weapons and equipment, what is the standard issue for a Garud operator?

Ans: The weapon and equipment profile in Special Forces is wide. It often depends on requirement, which defines what configuration to adopt. The primary weapon system in Garud Force, presently, is Israel made TAR–21 Tavor Assault Rifle.

Vayu: Forces are now focusing on procuring indigenous weapons and equipment under Make in India project, how does the Garud Force see and take its fair share in the project?

Ans: AF as a whole, is encouraging Atmanirbhar Bharat to the fullest. Accordingly, Garud procurement focus on indigenous sources.

Vayu: We’ve seen Garud Force being active in the Kashmir valley and conducting CI/CT Ops while being attached to the local RR Battalions, how much of a difference has this made while calculating the success rate and the casualties on our side?

Ans: It may not be appropriate to try and quantify or gauge the success or otherwise of any op in terms of causalities on either side. Calculating success rate of ops can never be done wholly in terms of hits or kills alone. There are far too many other tangibles and non– tangibles contributing to outcome of ops, including psychological. The end state is to defeat the nefarious designs of the adversary and neutralise and demotivate its proxies. This has been achieved in all Garud contacts or engagements alongside Indian Army (IA) till now. To give a brief background, Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism Operations (CI/CT Ops) are being conducted in Kashmir valley by IA over the past many decades. In view of the fact that exposure to live ops is irreplaceable, the IAF decided to induct its Garud SF personnel into the valley, where they have been operating along with IA. The Garud squads are operationally enmeshed with IA RR units at the ground level, in the true spirit of jointness. This has not only led to mutual exchange of good practices but also to evolving of common TTP for this specific role. This induction has given the IAF SF i.e. Garud an understanding of the methods of op of the terrorists and the process of countering the same. With their intense training, proper op orientation and well imbibed situational awareness the Garud SF has been extremely successful whenever contacts have happened with terrorists. 

Vayu: Garud Force also have been actively participating in the tri–lateral excises under the Armed Forces Special Operations Division, what is the role of Garuds in the formation and the experience the force has got from working with other Special Forces?

Ans: IAF fully supports inter service cooperation and jointmanship step.

Vayu: How has the Garud Force evolved with time since it was raised and until now?

Ans: Garud Force has come a long way and the growth has been steep. When compared to the Special Forces of sister services, this force has achieved a lot in two decades of its existence. This force offers unique capabilities that provide operational edge especially when air power is engaged.

Vayu: What will the future of the force look like?

Ans: We are a constantly evolving force, and totally committed to it. IAF is all about gaining the technological edge, and keeping pace with technological advancement. Being in the same environment, there has been progressive development in terms of training, equipment profile and operational capability, which in future would definitely be different and of better standard, as compared to the present.

As we concluded our visit to the GARUD Special Forces, we left with a profound sense of respect and admiration for these elite warriors. Their unwavering dedication, unrelenting spirit, and unbridled passion for their craft are a testament to the highest standards of military excellence. The memories of our time spent with the GARUD commandos will forever be embedded in our minds, and we feel honoured to have had the privilege of witnessing their prowess firsthand. Their selfless service and sacrifice are a reminder of the bravery and heroism that defines our nation’s special forces, and we here at Vayu Aerospace & Defence Review are grateful for their service. At the end of this article, I would like to thank Cmdt and all ranks of GRTC and IAF as a whole for making this very special visit come true and making this visit a memorable one!

Article by Abhinav Negi of Team VAYU (Instagram: that_article_guy and Twitter: @ThatArticleGuy)

Photos by Mayyank Kaul of Team VAYU (Instagram: thrustvectorneo & Twitter: @MayyankK3246)