Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Air forceThe President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of the Air Force Staff (CAS). Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts.
| Indian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| भारतीय वायुसेना | |
 | |
| Founded | 26 January 1950 |
| Country |  India |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 135,000 active personnel[1] 100,000 reserve personnel[2] Approx 1926+ aircraft[3][4] |
| Part of |  India Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Integrated Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi |
| Motto(s) | Nabhaḥ Spr̥śaṁ Dīptam (ISO) transl. "Touch the Sky with Glory"[5] (Taken from Bhagavad Gita)[6] |
| March |
|
| Anniversaries | 8 October (Air Force Day)[7] |
| Engagements | Notable operations
|
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Droupadi Murmu |
| Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) |  Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh |
| Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) | .svg){kind=small} Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari |
| Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) | Air Marshal Tejinder Singh |
| Notable commanders |
|
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin flash |  |
| Flag | .svg) |
| President's Colour |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Jaguar, Eitan, Harop |
| Electronic warfare | A-50E/I, DRDO AEW&CS |
| Fighter | Su-30MKI, Rafale, Tejas, MiG-29, Mirage 2000, MiG-21 |
| Helicopter | CH-47 Chinook, Dhruv, Chetak, Cheetah, Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-26 |
| Attack helicopter | Prachand, Apache AH-64E, Mi-25/35, Rudra |
| Interceptor | MiG 21 |
| Reconnaissance | Searcher II, Heron |
| Trainer | Hawk Mk 132, HJT-16 Kiran, Pilatus C-7 Mk II |
| Transport | C-130J, C-17 Globemaster III, CH-47F (I) Chinook, Il-76, An-32, HS 748, Do 228, EADS CASA C-295, Boeing 737, ERJ 135, Boeing 777 |
| Tanker | Il-78 MKI |
Since 1950, the IAF has been involved in 5 wars but also participates regularly in United Nations peace keeping missions.
The Indian Air Force has around 170,000 personnel and around 1700 aircraft making it the 4th largest air force in the world in terms of aircraft. The motto of the Indian Air Force is nabhah sprsham diptam ('touch the sky with glory').The motto has been taken from the Sacred Bhagavad Gita,Chapter 11,Verse 24.
Indian Air Force Media
Evolution of the IAF roundel over the years:- 1933–1942
- 1942–1945
- 1947–1950
- 1950 – present
A Westland Wapiti, one of the first aircraft of the Indian Air Force
World War II photo: Arjan Singh (middle) as Flight Lieutenant. He went on to become Marshal of the Air Force
An IAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber over the Deccan Plateau in the early 1950s
HAL HF-24 Maruts flying in formation. These were the first indigenous fighter jet to enter service with the IAF
A pair of MiG-21s during the 1971 war
References
- ↑ 20% Sailor Shortage in Navy, 15% Officer Posts Vacant in Army, Nirmala Sitharaman Tells Parliament (27 December 2017). Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ↑ (Iiss), The International Institute of Strategic Studies. The Military Balance 2021 (in en) (25 February 2021)Routledge, Chapman & Hall, 10,000 civilian personnel Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-032-01227-8.
- ↑ World Air Forces 2016. Flightglobal Insight (2016). Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2014, p.245
- ↑ The IAF Motto. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- ↑ Mukundananda, Swami. Chapter 11, Verse 24 – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda. Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
- ↑ IAF celebrates 87th Air Force Day – Abhinandan enthrals audience. The Economic Times. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
