Indian Air Force Day 8th October, celebrating every year. the Air Force Day is celebrated at Hindon base in presence of IAF chief and senior officials of the three armed forces. These celebrations include an air display where the most crucial and vintage aircraft put up a magnificent show.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian armed forces with the primary mission to secure Indian airspace and conduct aerial activities during armed conflicts. More than 170,000 personnel are in service with the Indian Air Force. Its personnel and aircraft assets rank fourth largest the air forces of the world.
Indian Air Force Day 8th October, also known as ‘Bharatiya Vayu Sena’, the IAF was officially established on October 8, 1932, by the British Empire. The President of India holds the rank of Supreme Commander of the air force. The Chief of Air Staff, an air chief marshal is responsible for the operational command of the air force.
The Indian Air Force not only safeguards Indian territory and national interests from all threats, but also provides support during natural calamities. The IAF provides air support to the Indian Army on the battlefield as well as strategic and tactical airlift capabilities.
The Indian Air Force comprises highly-trained crews and pilots and has access to modern military resources which provide India with the capacity to carry out rapid response evacuation, search-and-rescue (SAR) operations, and delivery of relief supplies to affected areas through cargo aircraft.
The air force is divided into five operational and two functional commands. Each command is supervised by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Air Marshal. The purpose of an operational command is to conduct military operations using aircraft within its area of responsibility, and functional command’s responsibility is to maintain combat readiness.
Facts about Indian Air Force (IAF)
- IAF ranks as the fourth largest operational air force in the world
- After Independence of India in 1947, Indian Air Force was named Royal Indian Air Force. However, when India turned Republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.
- Motto of the Indian Air Force is ‘Touch the Sky with Glory’ and it was taken from eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita
- The air force employs about 170,000 personnel and over 1,400 aircraft
- After independence, the air force took part in four wars with Pakistan and one with People’s Republic of China
IAF works with the United Nations’ peacekeeping missions. - The IAF destroyed more than 40 APCs, 29 Pakistani tanks, and a railway train during the Battle of Longewala in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
- IAF took part in relief operations during natural calamities such as Gujarat cyclone in 1998, the tsunami in 2004, and floods in North India. The IAF has also been part of relief missions such as Operation Rainbow in Sri Lanka
- The IAF created a world record by airlifting around 20,000 civilians in ‘Raahat’ mission during floods in Uttarakhand.
- IAF has a base in Tajikistan named Farkhor Air base located in Farkhor, India’s first and only military base outside the country.
