The Indian Air Force was born in 1932, has now grown to one of the largest Air Forces in the world. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is a professional, highly motivated force employing mainly western tactics and doctrine, it's combat effectiveness enhanced by Combined Air Operations (COMAO).

Today, the IAF has a large number of elderly combat aircraft, which need to be upgraded or replaced, lack of timely decision taking has resulted in major force level reductions over the next ten years, and modernisation programmes, which are pilling up but not being realised.