IAF Full Form

IAF stands for Indian Air Force. It is the air arm of Indian armed forces. It was officially set up on 8th October of 1932 as an additional armed Air Force of the British Empire. The foremost aim of IAF is to assure Indian Air Space and to run the British Empire. IAF was involved in four wars with Pakistan. Other crucial wars also were undertaken by the Indian Air Force such as Operation Meghdoot, Operation Vijay, Operation Cactus etc. 

Background and Formation

The motto of the Indian Air Force is ‘Touch the sky with glory’. The idea has been drawn from the eleventh chapter of Vagabat Geeta. The conference was given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna during the battle of Kurukshetra, the great war of Mahabharata, and they have been walking behind the maxim since their formation. It was officially set up on 8th October 1932, as an encouraging force to the British Empire and became a part of World War II with the name Royal Indian air force. The prefix Royal was pulled out in 1950 after India gained independence. They also served under the name ‘Dominion of India’ between 1947 and 1950. With 139576 active personnel, 140000 reserve personnel and approximately 2200 aircraft it has now become fourth amongst the air forces of the world. The latest addition to AIF’s aircraft arsenal is Dassault Rafale, as of February 2022, 35 Rafale multirole fighter aircraft are in active service. Besides Rafale, AIF also has Sukhoi Su-30MKI, IAF’s primary air superiority fighter, with additional air-to-ground striking capability. 

Air Force Capability

272 Su-30MKIs have been in service as of January 2020 with 12 more on order with HAL. Mikoyan MiG-29, the MiG-29, known as Baaz; Dassault Mirage 2000, and the Mirage 2000, known as Vajra are also safeguarding the Indian air force as a hawk. For strategic airlift, the IAF uses the Ilyushin Il-76, known as Gajraj (Hindi for King Elephant). The IAF has operated 17 Il-76s since 2010 which are now in the process of being replaced by C-17 Globemaster IIIs. IAF’s C-130Js are used by Special Forces for combined Force operations. India currently possesses five C-130JsIAF C-130Js are used by Special Forces for combined Army-Air Force operations. The HAL Dhruv serves primarily as a light utility helicopter in the IAF. In addition to transport and utility roles, newer Dhruvs are also used as attack helicopters. The Mil Mi-35 serves as the primary attack helicopter. The Mil Mi-8 and the Mil Mi-17, 17 1v, and 17v are operated by AIF for medium-lift strategic and utility roles. 

Evidence of Great Works

Since 1950 AIF has been involved in four wars with Pakistan and numerous successful operations like Operation Meghdoot, Operation Poomalai, Operation Cactus, Operation Ganga and so on. With our honourable president Ram Nath Kovind as commander in chief and General Manoj Mukund Naravane as chairman of the chiefs of staff committee (CCSC), it is safe to say that Indian airspace is in safe hands. The IAF’s goal is explicated by the Armed Forces Act of 1947, the Constitution of India, and the Air Force Act of 1950. It reduces battlespace defence of India and each part including preparation for defence and all such activities as may be conducive in times of war to its prosecution and after its termination to effective demobilisation.

Responsibility of IAF

This is the directive meaning the IAF holds the authority of defending Indian airspace and thus maintains national interests in cooperation with the other branches of the armed forces. The IAF dispenses close air support to the Indian Army troops on the battlefield as well as strategic and tactical airlift capabilities. The Integrated Space Cell is operated by the Indian Armed Forces, the civilian Department of Space, and the Indian Space. The Indian Armed Forces have initiated countless military academies all over India for tutoring its personnel, such as National Defence Academy (NDA). Besides the tri-service institutions, the Indian Air Force has a Training Command and a number of training camps set up. The technical and support staff are given training at different Grounds of  Training Schools, and the pilots are given training at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal which is situated in Hyderabad. The Pilot Training set up is at Allahabad, the Air Force Administrative College is located at Coimbatore, the Institute of Aerospace Medicine is located in Bangalore, Bangalore is at Jalahalli, the Tactics and Air Combat and the Defence Establishment at Gwalior, and the Paratrooper’s Training School at Agra. These are the other training establishments of IAF.

Conclusion

The Indian Air Force is the air arm of Indian forces. Since its independence IAF has been involved in four wars with the neighbouring countries. With the strength of 1.7 lakh of armed forces, it has been involved in the wars previously. Dedicated forces of IAF aim towards the peace and security of our country and the country’s people from the danger to protect and maintain safety. The president of India serves as a commander in chief of IAF. The goal of IAF is to touch the sky with glory. To the glory of India IAF is still working for the good of our country from 1932 to till date.