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Indian Air Force from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Jump To: Navigation, Search Indian Air Force Indian Air Force From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Indian Air force Ensign of the Indian Air Force Active 8 October 1932 – present Country India Branch Air Force 170,000 active personnel Size 1,309 aircraft [1] Ministry of Defence Part of Indian Armed Forces Headquarters New Delhi, India नभःसपृशं दीपतम् Sanskrit: Nabha -Sp śa Motto ḥ ṛ ṃ Dīptam "Touch the Sky with Glory"[2] Navy blue, Sky blue & White Colour Anniversaries Air Force Day: 8th October[3] World War II Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Congo Crisis Operation Vijay Sino-Indian War Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Engagements Bangladesh Liberation War Operation Meghdoot Operation Poomalai Operation Pawan Operation Cactus Kargil War Indian Military Honour Decorations Awards Battle honours Param Vir Chakra Website indianairforce.nic.in Commanders Chief of the Air Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Staff Vasant Naik Vice Chief of the Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Air Saff Barbora Insignia Crest Roundel Fin flash Aircraft flown Attack Jaguar, MiG-27, Harpy Electronic IAI Phalcon warfare Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Fighter MiG-29, MiG-21 Dhruv, Chetak, Cheetah, Mi- Helicopter 8, Mi-17, Mi-26, Mi-25/35 Reconnaissance Searcher II, Heron HPT-32 Deepak, HJT-16 Trainer Kiran, Hawk Mk 132 Il-76, An-32, HS 748, Do 228, Transport Boeing 737, ERJ 135, Il- 78MKI The Indian Air Force (IAF; Devanāgarī: भारतीय वायु सेना, Bhartiya Vāyu Senā) is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict. It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the Indian Empire and the prefix Royal was added in 1945 in recognition of its services during World War II. After India achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, the Royal Indian Air Force served the Union of India, with the prefix being dropped when India became a republic in 1950. Since independence, the IAF has been involved in four wars with neighbouring Pakistan and one with the People's Republic of China. Other major operations undertaken by the IAF include Operation Vijay - the invasion of Goa , Operation Meghdoot and Operation Cactus . Apart from conflicts, the IAF has been an active participant in United Nations peacekeeping missions. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the IAF. The Chief of Air Staff, an Air Chief Marshal (ACM), is a four star commander and commands the Air Force. There is never more than one serving ACM at any given time in the IAF. One officer has been conferred the rank of Marshal of the Air Force, a 5-star rank and the officer serves as the ceremonial chief. With strength of approximately 170,000 personnel and 1,309 aircraft, the Indian Air Force is the world's fourth largest.[4][5] In recent years, the IAF has undertaken an ambitious expansion and modernisation program to replace its aging Soviet-era fighter jets. Among the various expansion plans is the MRCA program under which the IAF plans to induct 126 fighter jets at a cost of US$12 billion. History Main article: History of the Indian Air Force [edit] Formation and Pre-Independence years (1932–1947) A Westland Wapiti, one of the first aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force was established in British India as an auxiliary air force[10] of the Royal Air Force with the enactment of the Indian Air Force Act 1932 on 8 October that year.[11][12] On 1 April 1933, the IAF commissioned its first squadron, No.1 Squadron, with four Westland Wapiti biplanes and five Indian pilots. The Indian pilots were led by Flight Lieutenant (later Air Vice Marshal) Cecil Bouchier .[13] Until 1938, No. 1 Squadron remained the only squadron of the IAF, though two more flights were added.[13] Karun Krishna "Jumbo" Majumdar was the first Indian officer to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. During World War II, the Air Force grew to seven squadrons in 1943 and to nine squadrons in 1945.[13] The IAF helped in blocking 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. In recognition of the crucial role played by the IAF, King George VI conferred it the prefix "Royal" in 1945.[12][14] The prefix was dropped in 1950 when India became a republic.[12] During the war, many youth joined the Indian National Army. Forty five of them (known as the Tokyo Boys) were sent to train as fighter pilots at the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Academy in 1944 by Subhas Chandra Bose .[15] After the war, they were interned by the Allies and were court- martialled. After Indian independence, some of them rejoined the IAF for service.[15] Structure The President of India is the Supreme Commander of all Indian armed forces and by virtue of that fact is the notional Commander of the Air Force. India's Ministry of Defence under the Defence Minister oversees the Air Force, by way of direct civilian leadership.[65] The Prime Minister and the National Security Council provide indirect leadership by shaping government security policy. A Chief of the Air Staff with the rank of Air Chief Marshal commands Air Headquarters and provides military leadership. He is assisted by six officers: a Vice Chief of the Air Staff, a Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, the Air Officer in Charge of Administration, the Air Officer in Charge of Personnel, the Air Officer in Charge of Maintenance, and the Inspector General of Flight Safety.[66] In January 2002, the government conferred the rank of Marshal of the Air Force on Arjan Singh making him the first and only Five Star rank officer with the Indian Air Force and ceremonial chief of the air force.[67] Bases Main article: List of Indian Air Force bases USAF F-16 at Kalaikunda AFS during Cope India 2006. IAF Mig 27s can be seen in the background. The IAF operates over sixty air bases, with more being built or planned.[69] Western Air Command is the largest Air Command. It operates sixteen air bases from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh. Eastern Air Command operates fifteen Air bases in Eastern and North-eastern India. Central Air Command operates seven Air Bases in Madhya Pradesh and surrounding states of central India. Southern Air Command, a strategically important Air command, in line with India's latest doctrine of protecting the vital shipping routes. It operates nine Air bases in Southern India and two in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. South Western Air Command is the front line of defence against Pakistan, this important Command operates twelve air bases in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. India also operates the Farkhor Air Base in Tajikistan.[70] Officers Anyone holding Indian citizenship can apply to be an officer in the Air Force as long as they satisfy the eligibility criteria. There are four entry points to become an officer. Male applicants, who are between the ages of 16½ and 19 and have passed high school graduation, can apply at the Intermediate level.[84] Men and women applicants, who have graduated from college (three year course) and are between the ages of 18 and 28, can apply at the Graduate level entry.[85] Graduates of engineering colleges can apply at the Engineer level if they are between the ages of 18 and 28 years. The age limit for the flying and ground duty branch is 23 years of age and for technical branch is 28 years of age.[86] After completing a master's degree, men and women between the ages of 18 and 28 years can apply at the Post Graduate level. Post graduate applicants do not qualify for the flying branch. For the technical branch the age limit is 28 years and for the ground duty branch it is 25.[87] At the time of application, all applicants must be single.[88] The IAF selects candidates for officer training from these applicants. After completion of training, candidate are commissioned as Flying Officers.[89] Training The Sudan Block of the National Defence Academy (NDA) The Indian Armed Forces has set up numerous military academies across India for training its personnel. Military schools, Sainik Schools , and the Rashtriya Indian Military College were founded to broaden the recruitment base of the Defence Forces. The three branches of the Indian Armed Forces jointly operate several institutions such as the National Defence Academy (NDA), Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), National Defence College (NDC) and the College of Defence Management (CDM) for training its officers. The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) at Pune is responsible for providing the entire pool of medical staff to the Armed Forces by giving them in service training. Besides these Tri-service institutions, the Indian Air Force has a Training Command and several training establishments. While technical and other support staff are trained at various Ground Training Schools, the pilots are trained at the Air Force Academy located at Dundigul. The Pilot Training Establishment at Allahabad, the Air Force Administrative College at Coimbatore, the School of Aviation Medicine at Bangalore, the Air Force Technical Training College at Jalahalli and the Paratrooper’s Training School at Agra are some of the other training establishments of the IAF..
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