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Indian Air Force

Indian Air Force
Badge of the Indian Air Force
Founded26 January 1950 (1950-01-26) (as current service)

8 October 1932 (1932-10-08) (as Royal Indian Air Force)

Country India
TypeAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Size139,576 active personnel[1]
140,000 reserve personnel[2]
Approx 1926+ aircraft[3][4]
Part of Indian Armed Forces
HeadquartersIntegrated Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi
Motto(s)Nabhaḥ Spr̥śaṁ Dīptam (ISO)
transl. "Touch the Sky with Glory"[5][6][7] (Taken from Bhagavad Gita)[8]
Colours      
March
  • Quick: Dēśa Pukārē Jaba Saba Kō
    (When the Country Calls Everyone)
  • Slow: Vāyu Sēnā Niśāna
    (The Air Force Emblem)
Anniversaries8 October (Air Force Day)[9][10]
Engagements
Notable operations
Websiteindianairforce.nic.in Edit this at Wikidata
Commanders
Commander-in-ChiefIndia President Droupadi Murmu
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh
Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) Air Marshal Sujeet Pushpakar Dharkar
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) Air Marshal Tejinder Singh
Notable
commanders
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash
Flag
President's Colour
Aircraft flown
AttackJaguar, Eitan, Harop
Electronic
warfare		A-50E/I, DRDO AEW&CS
FighterSu-30MKI, Rafale, Tejas, MiG-29, Mirage 2000, MiG-21
HelicopterCH-47 Chinook, Dhruv, Chetak, Cheetah, Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-26
Attack helicopterPrachand, Apache AH-64E, Mi-25/35, Rudra
InterceptorMiG 21
ReconnaissanceSearcher II, Heron
TrainerHawk Mk 132, HJT-16 Kiran, Pilatus C-7 Mk II
TransportC-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
TankerIl-78 MKI

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India's aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal.[11] After India gained independence from United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of the Dominion of India. With the transition to a republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.

Since 1950, the IAF has been involved in four wars with neighbouring Pakistan. Other major operations undertaken by the IAF include Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot, Operation Cactus and Operation Poomalai. The IAF's mission expands beyond engagement with hostile forces, with the IAF participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions.

The President of India holds the rank of Supreme Commander of the IAF.[12] As of 1 July 2017, 170,576 personnel are in service with the Indian Air Force.[13][14] The Chief of the Air Staff, an air chief marshal, is a four-star officer and is responsible for the bulk of operational command of the Air Force. There is never more than one serving ACM at any given time in the IAF. The rank of Marshal of the Air Force has been conferred by the President of India on one occasion in history, to Arjan Singh. On 26 January 2002, Singh became the first and so far, only five-star rank officer of the IAF.[15]

  1. ^ "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 28 December 2017.
  2. ^ (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.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Flightglobal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2014, p.245
  5. ^ "The IAF Motto". Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Indian Airforce Motto". IAF Careers. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Touch The Sky With Glory – 86th Anniversary of Indian Air Force". Press Information Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.
  8. ^ Mukundananda, Swami. "Chapter 11, Verse 24 – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda". Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  9. ^ "IAF celebrates 87th Air Force Day – Abhinandan enthrals audience". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  10. ^ "In a first, Rafale fighter jet to feature in Air Force Day parade". Hindustan Times. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Indian Air Force". indianairforce.nic.in. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  12. ^ "About – The President of India". Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  13. ^ "20% Sailor Shortage in Navy, 15% Officer Posts Vacant In Army, Nirmala Sitharaman Tells Parliament". News18. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  14. ^ "Armed forces facing shortage of nearly 60,000 personnel: Government". The Economic Times. 27 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Arjan Singh: IAF's 1965 war hero and the only five-star ranked officer". 16 September 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017.

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