Indian Air Force: Celebrating our warriors in the sky
Defence
Today, on 8 October 2021, India is proudly celebrating its 89th foundation year of the Indian Air Force (IAF) - known as the ‘Indian Air Force Day’.
This day is celebrated to raise global awareness about IAF and its contributions towards strengthening the national security of India.
Why is it celebrated on 8th October?
The IAF was established on 8 October 1932, in undivided colonised India. It was given the prefix "Royal" by King George VI for its contribution during World War II. The prefix was later dropped in 1950 when India became a republic nation.
Henceforth, October 8 of every year is observed as the Bharatiya Vayu Sena Diwas and is celebrated at the Hindon Air Force Station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad city.
Air Force Commands
The Indian Air Force is divided into 5 Operational and 2 Functional Commands. Each Command is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief carrying the rank of Air Marshal.
The objective of an Operational Command is to conduct military operations using aircraft within its jurisdiction, whereas the responsibility of a Functional Command is to maintain combat readiness.
Assistance in major operations
Operation Vijay - In late 1961, the Indian Government decided to attack the Portuguese colony of Goa after years of disagreement between New Delhi and Lisbon. The IAF was requested to provide support elements to the ground force in what was called ‘Operation Vijay’.
Operation Meghdoot - In 1984, India launched ‘Operation Meghdoot’ to capture the Siachen Glacier in the contested Kashmir region. In Op Meghdoot, IAF's Mi-8, Chetak and Cheetah helicopters airlifted hundreds of Indian troops to Siachen.
Kargil War (1999) - On 11 May 1999, the IAF was called in to provide close air support to the Indian Army at the height of the ongoing Kargil conflict. The first strikes were launched on 26 May 1999, when the IAF struck infiltrator positions with fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships.
2019 Balakot airstrike - After the 2019 Pulwama attack carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which killed 46 servicemen of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a group of 12 Mirage 2000 fighter planes deployed by the IAF carried out airstrikes on alleged JeM bases in PoK.
Future of Air Force
To counter a two-front war, the IAF needs the strength of the sanctioned 44 squadrons. However, India currently has only 32 squadrons in operation.
IAF is looking to phase out all aged MiG-21 aircrafts by 2024, and MiG-29s, Jaguars and Mirages by the end of this decade. This will result in a decrease in the number of active squadrons. To recoup this deficit, IAF is looking to acquire 114 aircrafts under Medium-Weight Multirole Fighters (MFRA) Program.
Improvement in Anti-drone space
It is also looking forward to inducting Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a program to develop 5th generation fighter aircrafts under India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Other than this, IAF is also expecting the delivery of S-400 (anti-aircraft weapon system) by the end of this year.
The IAF signed a contract of Rs 155 crore for Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CUAS) in September this year, to improve its capabilities in the anti-drone space.
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