In 1948, first airstrip was built in Haryana when Ambala Air Force Station was established. By 1964, the diversionary airforce airfields were ready at Sirsa as well as at Nal in Bikaner.
In Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Pakistan Air Force launched preemptive raid on 12 airforce stations, including Sirsa station, Faridlot Stations, Halwara Air Force Station, few railway stations, Indian armour concentrations and other targets but failed to cause any significant damage except the pothole damage to the runway which was quickly repaired. Dassault Mystère jets pounded the Pakistan Army pitched against the Indian Army in the Battle of Sabuna Drain, Dassault Mystère also hit a train and destroyed 50 tanks on it between Okara and Sahiwal. On 5 December 1971, Dassault Mystère jets from the Sirsa station hit fuel dump at Changa Manga. On 7 Dec 1971, more trains carrying fuel and tanks were destroyed at Chishtian. During the war the Dassault Mystère losses from Sirsa stations were - Sqn. Ldr. J.D. Kumar killed, Sqn. Ldr. Anukul ejected, Flt. Lt. Das ejected after his engine flammed out. Airport authorities trained the volunteers from among the RSS workers and deployed them for the airport security.
Runway
There is one runway, aligned north-east to south-west.
Units
It has No. 21 Squadron IAF of 45 Wing. Wing is an active air forcecombat formation. No. 15 Squadron IAF operating Su-30MKI is also based here. Originally the base was home to a squadron each of MiG-23s and MiG-27s, both single-engine fighters, of No. 21 Squadron IAF. Sirsa was amongst nine airfields in the Western Air Command for the Modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure programme, started in 2009, and due its proximity to the Delhi, work at the station which included equipping it with sensitive radars was complete by 2011, when the first of six C-130J Herculestactical transport aircraft bought from USA arrived, to be used exclusively by the Special Forces . Hindon Air Force Station was designated to become home base for these aircraft, and for this purpose, the Hindon runway was extended and modern hangars, servicing and operations facilities suitable for the C-130J aircraft were added. It has a total of 40 aeroplanes, of which 20 are used for defence.
