Indian Airforce
The Peace Keeping Force in Congo The past 75 years have been an eventful journey for the Indian Air Force (IAF) from a flight of 'Wapitis' in 1932, to the fourth largest, professionally acclaimed, strategic Air Force responsible for guarding Nation's vital interests. From 1948 to Kargil, the IAF has always fielded winning capabilities. IAF's professional and prompt operations in peace time, at home and abroad and in peacekeeping, have earned many accolades. In recent years, IAF has enhanced cooperation with Air Forces of other countries and exercised with some of the best, to hone skills, assimilate best practices and strengthen ties of friendship all over the World. Today, the IAF has formal cooperation with six nations and exchanges with many others. There are IAF teams and missions in 10 countries and four widely appreciated UN missions in Congo and Sudan. To remain competitive and credible, it is imperative that the IAF imbibe modern technologies to achieve long-reach, precision, networked and space-enabled force capabilities. The changing global environment, Regional military capabilities and vital national interests, necessitate a transformational modernization. |
The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932.Its first ac flight came into being on 01 Apr 1933. It possessed a strength of six RAF-trained officers and 19 Havai Sepoys (literally, air soldiers). The aircraft inventory comprised of four Westland Wapiti IIA army co-operation biplanes at Drigh Road as the "A" Flight nucleus of the planned No.1 (Army Co- operation) Squadron. During World War II, the IAF played an instrumental role in thwarting the advance of the Japanese army in Burma, where its first air strike was on the Japanese military base in Arakan. It also carried out strike missions against the Japanese airbases at Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. With the partition of the Indian sub-continent into two separate nations, the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan, the military forces were also partitioned. This gave a reduced Royal Indian Air Force and a new Royal Pakistan Air Force in 1947.
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Brief History
Click Here For Brief History of Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force Today
There are five operational air commands, the Western Air Command with headquarters in Delhi being the prime one and responsible for air operations from Kashmir southwards to Rajasthan and including the capital and the Punjab, with an Operations Group dedicated for Jammu & Kashmir including Ladakh.
Central Air Command based at Allahabad, encompasses most of the Indo-Gangetic plain while Eastern Air Command, at Shillong, is responsible for Bengal, Assam, the eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and the others bordering area on Tibet, Bangladesh and Burma.
South Western Air Command, at Jodhpur, is responsible for air operations in most of Rajasthan, southwards through Gujrarat to Saurashtra and the Kutch area.
Southern Air Command was formed in July 1984 with headquarters at Trivandrum and has, geographically, the largest territory, from the Deccan plateau area to the southern tip of the peninsula and including the island territories of Lakshwadeep and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Training Command has its headquarters at Bangalore, with the majority of flying and ground training establishments located in Southern India. Maintenance Command operates from Nagpur in Central India. The five Operational Commands through administrative Wings, control some 45 fixed-wing squadrons, 20 helicopter units and numerous surface -to- air missile squadrons, with unit establishments varying from 12 to 18 aircraft. This represents a total aircraft strength of nearly 1,700 including training and support types, manned by some 120,000 personnel. The Indian Air Force is today the world's fourth largest, well-equipped and professionally trained, smartly efficient and with an elan second to none.
India's Own Fighter Aircraft - LCA Tejas
Tejas, India's very own Light Combat Aircraft has achieved an important milestone by gaining Initial Operational Clearance (IOC). This has authenticated the Indian aircraft's airworthiness. The birth of India's first fighter aircraft is thus certified. Tejas is part of Indian presence in Aero Show 2011.
The Defence Minister A K Antony was proud to say that IOC to Tejas is a momentous occasion that the nation has been waiting for towards building our own multi-role combat aircraft. He Pointed out that a state-of-the-art indigenous combat aircraft would go a long way in enhancing national security and the pride of the nation. The Defence Minister noted that the country was poised for a major turning point with the declaration of IOC of Tejas. This is for the first time an indigenously designed and developed military fighter aircraft has been certified for Indian Air Force.