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.
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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. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ↑ (Iiss), The International Institute of Strategic Studies (25 February 2021). The Military Balance 2021. Routledge, Chapman & Hall, 10,000 civilian personnel Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-032-01227-8.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFlightglobal. - ↑ 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.
