Surya Kiran (Sanskrit: सूर्य किरण Sūrya Kiraṇ - "Sun Rays") is an aerobatics demonstration team of the Indian Air Force. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996 to serve as the "Ambassadors of the Indian Air Force" and to "showcase the professionalism, the calibre and the mettle of the Indian Air Force", The team has since performed numerous demonstrations in various parts of the country and abroad, and is today among the three renowned nine-aircraft public display aerobatic teams in the world (the other two being the British Red Arrows and the Canadian Snowbirds).