No. 102 Squadron IAF

In May 1997, a MiG-25RBK aircraft from 102 Squadron broke the sound barrier over Islamabad while undertaking one of its many secret reconnaissance missions over Pakistan, emitting a sonic boom. The sound was mistaken for a bomb blast. While the Indian Air Force made no official claims about this secret reconnaissance mission, Pakistan did make a statement. It claimed that the pilot aboard the Indian MiG-25 aircraft deliberately sent the sonic boom to remind the Pakistan Air Force that it had no equal in its inventory. Despite a fully loaded weight of 40 tonnes, it flew 50 km per minute, faster than a bullet. At its fastest speed, it could even zip faster than missiles. Thus, it was considered the right weapon for spying. The MiG-25 was fitted with powerful 1,200 mm cameras that captured photographs even as it flew thrice the speed of sound, at an altitude three times the height of Mount Everest. Its cameras could check on Delhi without leaving Bareilly. This meant that if it flew over Punjab or Kashmir, it could easily check on Pakistan too.