The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air power of the Indian Armed Forces, whose main task is to ensure the security of Indian airspace and to carry out air combat missions in armed conflicts. The Indian Air Force was established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force unit of the United Kingdom. During World War II, the Indian Air Force had the prefix royal character. After India's independence in 1947, the Royal Indian Air Force name was retained. In 1950, India became a republic and the Royal Indian Air Force was officially renamed the Indian Air Force.
Since 1950, the Indian Air Force has participated in four Indo-Pakistani wars, and other major operations carried out by the Indian Air Force include:"Operation Vijay"、"Operation Meg Dotte"、"Operation Cactus"with"Operation Pomalai"。In addition to combat operations, the Indian Air Force participates in UN peacekeeping missions.
India** is the nominal Supreme Commander of the Indian Air Force, and the actual commander of the Indian Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. As of 1 July 2017, the IAF has 170576 active duty personnel. On January 26, 2002, Arjan Singh became the only Air Marshal in the history of the Indian Air Force.
The Indian Air Force is divided into 5 operational commands and 2 functional commands. The Operational Command is responsible for conducting military operations within the area of responsibility, and the Functional Command is responsible for maintaining the combat readiness of the Air Force units. Each command is headed by an Air Force lieutenant general.
The Indian Air Force has a total of 1,645 aircraft, including 623 combat aircraft, 438 aircraft, 250 transport aircraft, 304 trainer aircraft, 7 air tankers, and 14 aircraft for special missions (reconnaissance, early warning and electronic warfare).
* The Air Force Command was established on March 19, 1962 in Rani Kutshi, Kolkata, and in 1966 the headquarters was moved to Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.
* The Air Force Command is responsible for the entire central region of India from Delhi to Bangladesh. With the establishment of the Southern Air Command, the size of the ** Air Force Command was all reduced.
* The Air Force Command has permanent air bases in Agra, Barelli, Gorakpur, Allahabad, Gariol, Nagpur and Kanpur.
* The fighters of the Air Force Command consist of Mirage 2000, Su-3-0MKI and Jaguar attack aircraft, transport aircraft consisting of An-32, Il-76MD and Do-228, ** consisting of Mi-8, Mi-17 and heavy transport aircraft Mi-26.
* Air Command participated in the Second Indo-Pakistani War in 1965 and the Kargil War in 1999.
The Eastern Air Command was established on May 27, 1958 in Rani Kutir, Kolkata, and in 1963 the headquarters was moved to Terzpur. At the end of 1963, the headquarters was moved to Silong, Meghalaya.
The Eastern Air Command is responsible for the eastern part of India, including West Bengal, Assam, Mizoram and borders with Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The Eastern Air Command has permanent air bases in Chabuya, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Balakpol, Hasimara, Jowhart, Karakunda and Tezpur. There are forward airbases in Agartala, Kolkata, Panagar and Shillong.
The main aircraft of the Eastern Air Command are Su-30MKI, **RO748M, C-130J Hercules and An-32. **There are Mi-8, Mi-17, Hal Dhruv and Hal Chetak.
The Eastern Air Command participated in the 1962 Sino-Indian border self-defense counterattack and the 1971 Third Indo-Pakistani War.
The Western Air Command was established on September 27, 1947, with its headquarters in New Delhi.
The Western Air Command is responsible for the northern part of India, from Jammu and Kashmir all the way to the Rajasthan region, and also includes Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi and the North-West States.
Western Air Command is the largest and most important command of the Indian Air Force with 10 permanent air bases located in Adampur, Ambala, Avantipur, Chandigarh, Halwara, Sindan, Leh, Palam, Srinagar and Pathankot. 6 forward airbases, located in Amritsar, Batingda, Salsava, Sirsa, Siachen Glacier and Udanpur.
The main aircraft of the Western Air Force Command are MiG-21, Dassault, MiG-29, Su-30MKI and Jaguar attack aircraft; Transport aircraft include **RO-748, DO-228M, Il-76, An-32; ** There are Mi-26, Mi-17, Hal Cheetah, Hal Dhruv and Apache.
Western Air Command participated in Operation Kashmir from 1947 to 1945, the 1962 Sino-Indian Border Self-Defense Counterattack, the 1965 Second Indo-Pakistani War, the 1971 Third Indo-Pakistani War, the 1986 Operation Pavan and the 1999 Operation Safid-Sagar.
The Southern Air Command was established on 19 July 1984 with its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
The Southern Air Command was established primarily in response to changes in the geopolitical situation on the Southern Peninsula and is responsible for the southern Indian region and seas, including the southern states, the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the island of Lakshiwadpo.
The Southern Air Command has permanent air bases in Vidar, Bangalore, Begupet, Dundigal, Hakingpet, Tambaram, Port Blair and Kanicoba, and forward air bases in Madurai and Salur.
The main aircraft of the Southern Air Force Command are the Su-30MKI, Hal Tejas and An-32. **Includes Mi-8, Mi-17V5.
Narmdeshwar Tiwari, South-Western Air Force Command
The South West Air Command was established in January 1980 as part of the 1st Operational Group of the Indian Air Force in Jodhpur. In May 1998, the headquarters was moved to Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The Southwest Air Command is responsible for the southwestern part of India, including most of Rajasthan, south through Gujarat to Sorashtra and Kuchi to Pune.
Since the South-Western Air Force Command is not responsible for sensitive areas, the main task is air defense. The South-West Air Command has permanent air bases in Bukit, Jesar Mer, Naria, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Balmer and Bona and forward air bases in Ahmedabad, Nar, Surat Garh and Uttarle.
The fighters of the South-Western Air Force Command mainly have the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21 and MiG-29. The main ground attack aircraft are the MiG-21 and MiG-23. The main transport aircraft are the RO 748M and the Il-76MD. ** There are mainly Mi-8, Mi-35 and Hal Chetak.
The Training Command was established on July 22, 1949, formerly known as the 2nd Training Group, and was renamed the Training Command in 1949. The Training Command is headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka.
The Training Command is primarily responsible for the Air Force's flight and ground training. The subordinate units have a navigation training school, a basic flight training school and an Air Force Administration Academy.
The Maintenance Command was established in 1950 in Chakiri, Kanpur as the Maintenance Brigade and renamed the Maintenance Command in 1955. The Maintenance Command is currently headquartered in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
The Maintenance Command has set up nine maintenance bases in Kanpur, Guariol, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Tuglakabad, Pune, Ojar and Jodhpur to carry out repair and maintenance work on various aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
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