Indian Air Force
Sign in to saveAlso known as IAF, Bharatiya Vayu Sena, BVS, af India, Air Force of India, Bhāratīya Vāyu Senā
Aerial service branch of Indian Military
Key facts
- Founded
- 26 January 1950 ; 76 years ago ( 1950-01-26 ) ( as current service ) 8 October 1932 ; 93 years ago ( 1932-10-08 ) ( as Royal Indian Air Force )
- Country
- India
- Type
- Air force
- Role
- Aerial warfare
- Size
- 149,000 active personnel , 140,000 reserve personnel , 1,750 aircraft (approx)
- Part of
- Indian Armed Forces
- Headquarters
- Vayu Sena Bhawan, Motilal Nehru Marg, New Delhi .
- Mottos
- Nabhaḥ Spr̥śaṁ Dīptam ( ISO ) , translation</span>"}]]}'>transl. "Touch the Sky with Glory" (Taken from Bhagavad Gita )
- March
- Quick: Dēśa Pukārē Jaba Saba Kō , (When the Country Calls Everyone) Slow: Vāyu Sēnā Niśāna , (The Air Force Emblem)
- Anniversaries
- Air Force Day: 8 October
- Website
- indianairforce .nic .in
- 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
- Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor
- Deputy chief of the air staff dcas
- Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti
- Notable commanders
- Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee
- Attack
- Jaguar , Eitan , Harop
- Electronic warfare
- A-50E/I , DRDO AEW&CS
via Wikipedia infobox
Research organization · ROR
- Type
- Government
- Founded
- 1932
- Location
- New Delhi, India
- Also known as
- IAF, Bhāratīya Vāyu Senā
- Status
- Active
GRID grid.464835.8 · ISNI 0000 0001 0659 8777
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO: Bhāratīya Vāyu Senā) 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 British India which honoured India's aviation service during World War II.
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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Indian Air Force” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.