Service No : 912269-R
Date of Birth : November 19, 1983
Place of birth : Jhajjar dist (Haryana)
Last Rank : Sergeant
Unit : 154 HU AF
Arm/Regt : Indian Air Force
Operation : CI & IS Ops
Awards : Mention-in-Despatches
Martyrdom : February 27, 2019
Sergeant Vikrant Sahrawat
Sergeant Vikrant Sahrawat hailed from Bhadani village of Jhajjar district in Haryana and was born on 19 November 1983. Son of Shri Krishna Sherawat and Smt Kanta Sehrawat, Sgt Vikrant Sahrawat was the second among four children and had a brother Vishant, and two sisters Sunaina and Sharmila as his siblings. He completed his studies till class X from Model Sanskriti School of Jhajjar and after that completed his class XII from State High School, Jhajjar. Subsequently, he joined Nehru PG College at Jhajjar to do his graduation in Science, but in the final year of his graduation, he got selected to join the IAF. He joined the IAF in the year 1993 and got inducted into the technical wing of the Indian Air Force.
After serving for a couple of years he got married to Ms Suman and the couple was blessed with a daughter Kavya and a son Vardaan. He served in various Air Force bases performing his duties as a technical tradesman. Later he got selected as an aircrew and after completing his training, got posted to an operational Mi-17 Squadron. He undertook numerous missions as an aircrew and was involved in the IAF rescue and relief operation during the Kerala floods in 2018. In 2019, he got posted to the 154 Helicopter Unit based at the Air Force base in Srinagar. By then he had put in over two decades of service and had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
Mi-17 Air Mission: 27 Feb 2019
During Feb 2019, Sgt Vikrant Sahrawat was serving with 154 HU based at Srinagar. 154 HU was raised in the year 2012 at Srinagar with the motto of "Apatsu Mitram" meaning "A friend in time of need". The unit was operating the Mi-17 V-5 helicopter, the most advanced variant of the Mi-17 family operated by the IAF, and was fitted with a full glass cockpit, advanced avionics, weather radar, and powerful Klimov VK 2500 engines delivering 2,700 hp each. The Mi-17 V-5 could also be flown at night as its cockpit was Night Vision Goggle (NVG) compatible. The twin-engine helicopter was capable of single-engine flight and landing. It could achieve a top speed of 250 kmph and a cruise speed of 220-230 kmph. Mi-17V-5s could also undertake armed missions for which they could be fitted with four pylons to carry suspended pods with 23mm cannons and 250 rounds each, up to 80 S-8 80mm unguided aerial rockets and bombs. The unit was responsible for undertaking air transport and logistics operations in support of the Army as well as IAF operations in J & K.
On 27 Feb 2019, the unit was tasked with one more such mission in support of ongoing joint operations of Army and IAF in J&K. Sgt Vikrant Sahrawat along with other aircrew including Sgt Vishal Kumar Pandey, Cpl Deepak Pandey, and Cpl Pankaj Kumar, were detailed for an air support mission being flown by Wg Cdr Sidharth Vashisht as captain and Sqn Ldr Ninad Mandavgane as co-pilot. The crew after having gone through their preparatory checks got ready to take off as per the operational plan on 27 Feb 2019. The Mi-17 V-5 aircraft (ZP-5220) took off as planned at 1000 hrs but soon after flying for nearly 10 minutes crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam district about 10 km from the Srinagar International Airport. The helicopter broke into pieces and caught fire which made it impossible to save the crew members. All six valiant air warriors could not survive and laid down their lives in the service of the nation. Subsequent investigation revealed that the ill-fated Mi-17 V-5 was hit by the SPYDER ("Surface-to-air Python and Derby"), the IAF's short and medium-range mobile air defence system, in an operationally charged environment by mistake. Sgt Vikrant Sahrawat was a valiant and competent air warrior, who displayed grit, commitment, and devotion to duty during every operational mission assigned to him. Sgt Vikrant Sahrawat was awarded 'Mention-in-Despatches" (Posthumously) for his commendable courage, and supreme sacrifice.
Sgt Vikrant Sahrawat is survived by his father Shri Krishan Sahrawat, mother Smt Kanta Sahrawat, wife Smt Suman, daughter Kavya and son Vardaan.
Sharmila Sherawat
2025 at 1:47 pmVikrant is my younger brother. I am proud that God sent me to this earth as Vikrant’s sister. His every time was different from others, meaning he is always there for me… and will always remain alive, he is always with us, we will keep Vikrant in our memories till our last breath, he is our last hope, when my breath stops, we too will end with him… love you little one, you are my soul