Indian Air Force Day, History, Important Unknown Facts, Most Important Significance

Indian Air Force Day: The Indian Air Force Day is celebrated on October 8th every year, to mark the date of establishment of the Bharatiya Vayu Sena or called as Indian Air Force (IAF). 

Indian Air Force Day

• Every year, the main event is held at the Hindon Air Force Base, Ghaziabad.
• It comprises a parade by men and women air warriors.
• Medals are pinned on the uniforms of those who have been declared recipients during the investiture ceremony. These medals are pinned by the Chief of Air Staff (CAS).

October 8 is celebrated as the Air Force Day because on this day, the Air Force in India was officially raised in 1932 as the supporting force of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.  The first operational squadron came into being in April 1933. After participation in World War II, the Air Force in India came to be called the Royal Indian Air Force in the mid 1940s. In 1950, after the republic came into being it became the Indian Air Force. From six officers and 19 Hawai Sepoys back in 1933, the Air Force now is the fourth largest in the world.

Indian Air Force Day 2023

India will be celebrating the 91st birth anniversary of the Indian Air Force on October 8, 2023. People will witness an impressive air display of its power by the Indian Air Force on October 8. To commemorate Air Force Day, marking IAF’s 91st anniversary, dozens of different aircraft will take part in an air display over the holy confluence of Sangam in Prayagraj, during which they will put up a dazzling show of some vivid and varying formations, informed district administration officials.

Indian Air Force will hold an air display on October 8 to celebrate its 91st anniversary. The event will take place in Prayagraj and will feature various aircraft formations. Governor Anandi Ben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath will attend, while invites have also been sent to President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Last year on IAF’s 90th anniversary in Chandigarh, nearly 80 military aircraft and helicopters including Rafale, Tejas, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Sukhoi, MIG-29, C-103 besides Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, Chinook, Apache, and Mi 17 participated in the Air Force Day fly-past.

IAF – History and Background

• Established in 1932, the Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces and was introduced as the supporting force for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force.
• The first IAF flight came into being in April 1933.
• During 1939 and 1945, the period of World War II, Indian Air Force flights and squadron commanders had also participated in the war, and after its end, the IAF was renamed the Royal Indian Air Force.
• It also took active participation and involvement in the Indian independence and partition.
• In 1950, when India was declared a republic, ‘Royal’ was removed from the armed forces, and it regained the name of the Indian Air Force.
• The Indian Air Force’s role during the Kargil war of 1999 is considered to be a milestone in the history of military aviation. Demolition of enemy camps, evacuation of injured army personnel and airstrikes were done by the IAF.
• During natural calamities in the country, IAF’s relief operations have been a great saviour.
• Till date, this armed force has played a major role in terms of the nation’s security and maintaining bilateral relations by regular army exercises.

Facts about the Indian Air Force

Strength

• The IAF is the fourth-largest operational air force in the world, after the USA, China and Russia
• IAF also works for the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions

Motto of IAF

• The motto of Indian armed force is ‘Touch the Sky with Glory’, which has been taken from the eleventh chapter of the Srimad Bhagavadgita.

Organisational Structure

• 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

Headquarters 

• Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

Supreme Commander & Head of Military Staff

•  The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Air Force
• The Chief of the Air Staff is the head of military staff of the Indian Air Force.

Indian Air Force

The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force (IAF) 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 the British Empire which honoured India’s aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal.

After India gained independence from United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of the Dominion of India. With the transition to a republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.

VISION

To be an agile and adaptable air force that provides decisive aerospace power in furtherance of our national interests.

CORE VALUES

The IAF leadership has identified three core values that must govern whatever it does, in peace or war. These are: – Mission, Integrity & Excellence.

Present Chief of the Air Staff

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari PVSM AVSM VM ADC was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 29 Dec 1982. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Flying Instructors’ School and Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. The Chief has a rich and varied experience of operational flying, having flown over 3800 hours.

During his career, he has held numerous Command and Staff appointments and has been an Air Force Examiner on fighter and trainer aircraft. He is a Cat ‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor and an Instrument Rating Instructor and Examiner. The Chief has the unique distinction of being an instructor at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington as well as Defence Services Command and Staff College, Zambia.

The Air Chief Marshal has commanded a frontline fighter squadron and two important fighter bases. Some of his notable assignments include Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Air Defence), Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Personnel Officers) and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, where he spearheaded several major procurement cases of the IAF. He later was Air Officer Commanding-in- Chief of Western Air Command and Vice Chief of the Air Staff before taking over as Chief of the Air Staff on 30 Sep 21.

He is married to Mrs Neeta Chaudhari and they are blessed with two sons.

Most Important Facts about Indian Air Force

1. Indian Air Force is the fourth largest and professionally acclaimed strategic Air Force in the world and operates around 33 squadrons. With around 1,70,000 personnel and 1,500 aircraft, it is behind of The U.S., Russian and Chinese Air Forces.
2. It is also the seventh strongest Air Force in the world, better than Germany, Australia and Japan.
3. Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon is the only IAF officer who has been awarded the Param Vir Chakra, in recognition of lone defence of Srinagar Air Base against PAF during Indo-Pak war 1971.
4. The IAF flag, adopted in 1951, is blue in colour, containing the National Flag in the first quadrant and a roundel of the colours of the National Flag. Its crest is considered to be of great historical and sentimental value and is approved by the President of India.
5. At its peak, IAF once operated about 224 squadrons.
6. The first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Marshal Sir Thomas Walker Elmhirst, made the IAF an independent service under no control of the Army.
7. Its motto “Nabha Sparsham Deeptham” is taken from the eleventh chapter of the Gita. The way Lord Krishna shows his supreme divine form to Arjuna, in a similar way, the Indian Air Force aims to overwhelm the adversaries with the application of aerospace power in defence of the nation.
8. Arjan Singh holds the rank as an Indian Air Force Marshall. In recognition of his services, he was awarded a ‘Five Star’ rank in the year 2002.
9. Padmavati Bandopadhayay, The first woman Air Marshall of the Indian Air Force, she is the second woman in IAF to be promoted to a three-star rank. She was awarded the Vishist Seva Medal (VSM) for her conduct during Indo-Pak War 1971 and has shown courage many times.
10. The Air Force has over 60 airbases spread all over India. These are grouped into 7 commands. With 16 airbases, the Western Air Command is the largest Air Command.
11. Garud Commando Force is the special operation unit of IAF that consists of approximately 1500 personnel. The unit derbies its name from Garuda, the divine mythical bird in Hindu Mythology. It’s tasked with the protection of critical installations and Frey take control under hostilities.
12. The IAF created a world record by performing the highest landing of a C-130J at the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip in Ladakh at the height of 16614 feet (5065 meters).
13. The IAF’s primary air superiority fighter with the additional capability to conduct air-ground (strike) missions is Sukhoi Su-30MKI. The IAF is the only air force that operates C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules, and Il-76 – the three largest transport aircraft.
14. The Indian Air force has approx 170,576 active personnel, 140,000 reserve personnel and Approx 1926+ aircraft.
15. The headquarter is situated at Integrated Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi.

First Indian Air Force Woman Pilot

The first woman pilot in Indian Air Force, Avani Chaturvedi is a Jodhpur-based Sukhoi-30 fighter pilot. The 29-year-old completed her training on Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers before taking to the skies in the MiG-21 Bison for the first time in IAF Squadron service.

Along with Mohana Singh Jitarwal and Bhawana Kanth, she was named the first female combat pilot in the Indian Air Force.

Madhya Pradesh was the birthplace of Avani Chaturvedi, who is the first woman pilot in Indian Air Force. She completed her education in Deolond, a tiny town in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district. In 2014, she graduated with her Bachelor of Technology from Banasthali University in Rajasthan, where she also joined the school’s flying club because she had always been attracted to flying.

She was recommended by the AFSB after passing the AFCAT. She undertook six months of rigorous training at the Air Force Academy in Telangana’s Dundigal before joining the IAF. In 2018, Avani Chaturvedi made aviation history by flying a MiG-21 as the first woman pilot in Indian Air Force. Avani received a promotion to the position of Flight Lieutenant in 2018.

Logo of Indian Air Force

The logo or the badge of the Indian Air Force features an eagle superimposed on a circlet, which is surmounted by a crown.

The badge was based on a design by a tailor at Gieves Ltd of Savile Row in London. It was first used in August 1918, and the original circlet showed a garter and buckle. The present plain circlet dates from 26 January 1923 when the badge was registered at the College of Arms and, it being noted that the garter and buckle were heraldically incorrect, a substitution was made.

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