It is the trained vision with unmatched capability to spot and identify enemy aircraft with naked eyes that deters the enemy from any misadventure in the Indian skies. Such is the ``fly-catcher'' precision of these men from the Air Defence Artillery, which completed 50 years on September 1, that could distinguish the aircraft as hostile or friendly within split-seconds, from miles away. If the aircraft turns out to be hostile, it is welcomed with a barrage from ack-ack -- the anti-aircraft guns, mainly the L-70s.The solid backup provided by the regiment to the Indian Air Force, was well recognised in the Goa Liberation Operation, Indo-Pak War in 1965 and 1971, and Operation Rakshak I and II at Punjab.

The eagle-eyed regiment shot down 13 Pak aircraft, including the Sabre and B-57, bombers during `operation riddle' in 1965.

Theregiment, which has many laurels to its credit, was awarded the battle honour `Basantar river' after the 1971 Indo-Pak war for its contribution in providing air defence. During the war, the regiment gunned down several F-86 Sabre and Mig-19 by deploying the L-70 guns. Also during the 1961 Goa Liberation Operation the regiment was instrumental in capturing 13 officers and 211 men of Portuguese artillery battery.

The hard training of about two months enables these men to identify any approaching aircraft, be it the F-16, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-18 Hornet, Cobra, Mirage III or V, Shooting Star or the A-4 Sky Hawk, which are reportedly owned by the Pakistan, a defence personnel said.

The regiment has a separate aircraft identification centre, where the men are trained to identify over 70 aircrafts with the naked eye, even when an aircraft is miles away. In this training, the Centre takes help of over 12,000 slides, several models and latest Jane's aircraft recognition guide, which has details of over 500passenger, transport and fighter aircrafts, all over the world.

``The response has to be quick as the reaction time is very less,'' a senior defence official said adding as soon as an hostile aircraft is spotted, message is sent and within a fraction of seconds it is gunned down. Though the regiment uses sophisticated radars the approaching aircrafts if flies at a low level it may escape the vision of radars, however, it cannot escape the eyes of these men.

The 45 air defence regiment will be upgraded in all aspects, according to Lt Gen A Mukherjee, the director general and senior colonel commandant of air defence artillery.

The defence personnel told this correspondent that the capabilities including firing rate of L-70 guns will soon be enhanced. Also the radar and other detection capabilities will be upgraded. The 40 mm anti-aircraft guns would be upgraded with night fighting capabilities after addition of thermal imaging sights and night-vision equipments.

In a simple and impressive ceremony tocommemorate the golden jubilee, the director general released a postal cover, and interacted with retired officers and men and war heroes.

Among them was Subedar Major and Honorary Captain R B Raju, who had played a major role in gunning down 13 Pak aircrafts in the 1965 war.