APS Covers India 2025 – Diamond Jubilee No 18 Squadron IAF.

No. 18 Squadron, nicknamed the “Flying Bullets”, was raised on 15 April 1965 with Gnat fighters. It became famous for its role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, defending the Kashmir Valley. During this conflict, Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon displayed extraordinary bravery against enemy Sabre jets and was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, making the squadron the only IAF unit with a PVC awardee. The Squadron transitioned through HAL Ajeet and the MiG-27 ML. The squadron was honoured with the President’s Standard in November 2015.

Army Postal Service issued a Special Cover on 05 Dec 2025 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Squadron. It features the various aircrafts it has flown during the last 60 Years and Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC (P).

This cover was issued by APS on 07 Oct 1982 in the 50th Anniversary Year of IAF the cover features Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Param Vir Chakra and postmark of a Gnat with stamps on PVC Medal.