The Indian Air Force was formed on 08 Oct 1932. It has come a long way from its modest beginnings to become a pre-eminent Air Force in the region. The IAF has evolved from a small nucleus of six officer, nineteen airmen and four Wapiti aircraft to become a formidable bulwark of national defence. The Indian Air Force forms the core of the national defence and hence contributes towards the stability and security of the region. The IAF has served India in both peace and war. It has also been deployed abroad on UN peacekeeping missions.

A Brief History of the IAF

The Indian Air Force Act came into force on 08 October 1932, that date being the date of its formal constitution. The first flight of the IAF the 'A' flight however, was formed on 01 April 1933. At that time, it possessed strength of six officers (five pilots and one equipment officer and 19 Havai Sepoys (air soldiers) and its aircraft inventory comprised four Westland Wapiti IIA army co-operation biplanes at Drigh Road Karachi (now in Pakistan). The fledging Air Force was put into action on 01 Oct 1937 in Wazirstan for Army Co-operation missions against Tribal. 'A' Flight flew 1400 operational hours keeping its aircraft serviceability at 100 percent.

World War II
The outbreak of World War II resulted in the expansion of the Indian Air Force. By the end of 1941 the IAF had three squadrons and five coastal defence flights. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour brought the war to India's doorstep and in December 1941 the IAF was inducted into Burma for the first Burma campaign. During the war years, the steady expansion of the IAF had placed all emphasis on army co-operation and tactical reconnaissance. The Service established traditions of courage and efficiency second to none its personnel and been awarded 22 Distinguished Flying Crosses and a host of other decorations. In recognition of its achievements, the Service was bestowed with the prefix "Royal" in March 1945 and was then known as the Royal Indian Air Force.

Independence and Partition
The stimulus provided by the Second World War had raised the RIAF personnel strength to 28, 500including some 1,600 officers by the time hostilities terminated. In the post war demobilisation this was virtually halved to some 14, 000 officers and men. On 15 August 1947, India was divided. The principalcomponents of the RIAF at partition were Nos. 3,4,7, 8 and 10 Squadrons with Tempest II, No.2 Squadron with Spitfires and No. 12 Squadron with C-47s, plus No. 1
Air Observation Flight.

The RIAF lost many permanent bases and other establishments as a result of the division the country. It had virtually no breathing space to recover from the surgery that had accompanied the partition before it was called to action.

Kashmir Operation
Tribal raiders, clothed, fed and armed by Pakistan with Pakistani military commanders leading them raided Kashmir in October 1947. On 26 October the Maharja of Kashmir signed the instrument of Accession as per the requirements of the partition process and asked for Indian military help. On the morning of 27th October RIAF flew to Srinagar carrying the first contingent of the Indian army in three DC-3 Dakotas of No. 12 Squadron.

On 30 October 47, the first Spitfires from the Advanced Flying School at Ambala reached Srinagar and were soon engaged in strafing the raiders beyond Pattan. Within a week, the Tempests of No. 7 Squadron were playing a decisive role in the battle of Shelatang, and had halted the forward momentum of the insurgents. The fighting continued for 15 months, with heavy RIAF involvement throughout.

Formation of the Republic
In January 1950, India became a Republic within the British Commonwealth and the Indian Air Force dropped its "Royal" prefix. At this time, it possessed six fighter squadrons of Spitfires, Vampires and Tempests, operating from Kanpur, Poona, Ambala and Palam, one B-24 bomber squadron, one C-47 Dakota transport squadron, one AOP flight, a communications squadron at Palam and a growing training organisation.

Conflict with China
The real test of IAF airlift capability came in October 1962, when open warfare erupted on the Sino-Indian border. During the period 20 October to 20 November, pressure on the Service's transport and helicopter units was intense, troops and supplies having to be flown to the support of the border posts virtually round the clock and at extreme altitudes. The helicopters had to constantly runt the gauntlet of Chinese small arms and anti-aircraft fire., while operating to tricky helipads in the mountains. Many notable feats were performed by the IAF during this conflict, including the operation of C-119Gs from airstrips 17, 000ft (5180m) above sea level in the Karakoram Himalayas and the airlifting by An-12Bs of two troops of AMX-13 light tanks to Chushul, in Ladakh, where the small airstrip was 15, 000 ft (4570m) above sea level.

War in the Sub Continent
Despite the cease-fire, establishment of a Cease Fire Line (CFL) and the UN resolution, Pakistani forces never retreated from J & K, as was stipulated. Pakistan continued to covet the state of J&K. On 1 September 1965, Pakistan launched a massive attack in the Chhamb sector. Possessing the initiative in having chosen the time and place to strike and enjoying overwhelming numerical superiority in the sector in armour and troops Pakistan posed a grave threat to India's integrity. India's ground forces were pulled back. In responsse to urgent requests for air strikes against Pakistani armour advancing in the Chhamb-Jaurian sector, IAF fighters went into action.

Vampire FB Mk-52 of No. 45 Squadron at the time undergoing operational training at a forward base, mounted their first sorties at 1745 hours on the first day of the conflict, and on their heels came the Mystiere IVAs of Nos. 3 and 31 Squadrons operating from Pathankot. The Paksitani armour thrust was stopped in its tracks. IAF Gnats proved their mettle in shooting down several PAF F-6 Sabres in this sector, the first aerial victories being notched by Nos. 23 and 9 Squadrons. Rapidly escalating, full-scale war broke out on 6 September all along the international border, between West Pakistan and India. Pakistan attempted a pre-emptive strike on 06 September attacking Indian Air Force Bases at Adampur, Halwara, Pathankot, Srinagar, Jamnagar and Kalaikunda. The raid inflicted some limited damage on IAF airfields at Kalaikunda and Pathankot. On other airfields the damage caused was of little importance. The IAF retaliated on 07 September and on this day during a raid on Sargodha, a Mystere IVA shot down a PAF Starfighter in Air Combat. The IAF provided close air support to the Indian Army in the famous battle of Assal Uttar in Khemkaran Sector. In this battle the thrust of Pakistani I Armoured Division was beaten back. The IAF also interdicted Pak railway systems successfully hititng at the Pakistani forces as well as their stores of necessary war-material and also their lines of communications and supply by blowing up trains carrying these goods. With the assistance of the IAF, India's ground forces advanced to the outskirts of Lahore. A cease-fire was shortly declared.

The War of December 1971
The professional standards, capability and flexibility of the much-expanded Service were soon to be put to the acid test. From early 1971, as the political situation on the sub-continent deteriorated, the load of 10 million Bangladeshis refugees in India as a consequence to the Pakistani crack down was too much for a weak Indian economy. The IAF was alerted to the possibility of another armed conflict. At 1449 hours on 22 November four Pakistani Sabres strafed Indian and Mukti Bahini positions in the Chowgacha Mor area, and 10 minutes later, while engaged on a third strafing run, the Sabres were intercepted by four Gnats from No. 22 Sqn, a detachment of which was operating from Dum Dum Airport, Calcutta. During the ensuing melee, three of the Sabres were shot down, all Gnats returning to base unscathed. Other encounters were to follow over the next 10 days, within Indian and Pakistani airspace. Full-scale war began on 03 December. 'Pre-emptive' strikes were launched by the Pakistan Air Force against IAF bases at Srinagar, Amritsar and Pathankot, followed by attacks on Ambala, Agra, Jodhpur, Uttarlai, Avantipur, Faridkot, Halwara and Sirsa. The strikes failed in their objective. In response and during ensuing two weeks, the IAF carried out some 4000 sorties in the West from major and forward bases in Jammu, Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan,, while, in the East, a further 1978 sorties were flown. The IAF had good reason for satisfaction with its showing during the December 1971 conflict. Although, Pakistan had initiated the war with pre-emptive air strikes against major forward air bases, the IAF rapidly gained initiative and had thereafter dominated the skies over both fronts. It was in the Western Theatre that the MiG-21FL mounted hundreds of combat air patrol sorties over Vital Points (VP) and Vital Areas (VA) flew escort missions for bombers and strike fighters and were continuously scrambled to intercept hostile intruders. The MiG-21 finally met its original adversary, the F-104 Starfighter, in air combat over the sub-continent during the December 1971 conflict and in all four recorded cases of classic dogfights, the MiG-21s outclassed and out fought the F-104s. The first aerial victory was on 12 December 1971, when MiG-21 FLs of No. 47 Squadron shot down a PAF F-104 over the Gulf of Kutch and this was followed by three more victories in quick succession on 17 December, when MiG-21FL of No. 29 Squadron escorting HF-24 Maruts, shot down intercepting F-104s near Uttarlai in the Rajasthan desert in gun-missile encounters, while a third F-104, on an intruding mission, was shot down by another MiG-21FL of No. 29 Squadron. As is known, this war resulted in the birth of the Independent State of Bangladesh, with the unconditional surrender of 90, 000 Pakistanis Armed Forces in Bangladesh to the India's Armed Forces.

TRAINING IN THE IAF
Prior to independence, Pilots were trained at Cranwell (UK) and technical personnel were trained at the Aircraft Depot, Karachi. Technical training continued at the squadron under the supervision of British non-commissioned officers. Specific training centres in India were not established. During and after WW II to cope with much larger training commitment, a Directorate of Training was formed in the Air HQ's. After Independence on 15August 1947, the Air Force Training Establishments located in India were: -

(a) Initial Training Wing, Coimbatore.
(b) Elementary Flying Training School, Jodhpur.
(c) Advanced Flying Training School, Ambala.
(d) No. 1 Ground Training School, Jalahalli.

Under the system in force at the time of Independence, the training of ground duty officers was dispersed. Technical and non-technical officers had their initial professional training at No. 2 GTS Tambaram. Non-technical officers continued their professional training at Coimbatare. Air Headquarters was reorganised in 1948 and on 22 Jul 1949, No. 2 Training Group was re-designated as Training Command. Originally, it had control over ground training establishments only flying training continuing to be controlled by Air Headquarters. On 15 September 1954, all flying establishments were also transferred to Training Command and they were made responsible for the entire training commitment of the IAF. The Present Training in the IAF has indeed undergone a sea change since Subroto Mukherjee went to Cranwell in 1930. Today the IAF is a multi-faceted service. For the management of personnel, material and finances, the service has an infrastructure of highly trained and qualified manpower. IAF also trains nationals of friendly foreign countries. Over 4600 such personnel have been trained in IAF institutions so far. In addition, training teams are also deputed to certain foreign countries on request. Since July 1998, a new dimension has been added in the training pattern in IAF. A novel concept of training has been introduced encompassing all branches, except medical. The curriculum for the 'Common Programme for Training of All Branches', for the first six-months, has been specially designed to build camaraderie, espirit-de-corps and understanding amongst trainees from the very beginning of their career. The Air Force has authorised intake of 66 Ex-National Defence Academy Cadets, 44 Direct Entry Cadets, 27 Army Officers, 17 Naval Officers and 05 ICG officers/foreigners. The personnel of the Air Force can be broadly divided into two groups-those who operate, maintain and assist in the effective utilisation of the weapon system platform and those who provide support system to the personnel engaged in the core activities. The core group comprises the operators of the weapon system platforms, maintenance staff comprising technical officers and technical airmen for maintenance and air traffice controllers, fighter controllers and meteorological officers in assisting the actual operations and the airmen supporting these branches of officers. The human resource development as practiced in the air force is to provide adequate wherewithal to the personnel to execute effectively the tasks allotted to them. The training pattern for the core group comprises ab-initio training, type training and on the job training, whereas the support services are employed directly after ab-initio training. The core groups are also regularly given advanced training to upgrade their skills. Officers of the support services are also given opportunities to enhance their managerial skills at the middle management level, the overall emphasis is to create "Air Warriors" capable of mission accomplishment in the technology driven new millennium.

Women in IAF
Changing Indian society saw an increasing demand in the 90s for greater participation by women in all fields of social activity, including Defence Services. In recognition of the demand, the IAF initiated a case for obtaining the necessary sanction from the government. In June 1990, the Government of India approved the sanction of women in the officer cadre of non-technical, ground Duty Branches, viz, administration and logistics. The response to No. 1 Short Service Course (Women) was overwhelming. A total of nearly 24000 applications were received against 09 vacancies, (06 in administration and 03 in Logistics). Out of these over 4000 applications were from Engineering Graduates. Also, a number of representations were received from qualified women pilots for opening the doors of entry to the Flying Branch of IAF. As a sequel to the enthusiasm generated, the IAF approached the Government for a favourable consideration of the case. In August 1992, the Government approved the induction of women in Flying and Technical Branches on an experimental basis with a tenure ranging from six to ten years. The Indian Air Force Command Structure Originally the Air Force had only functional commands, with an operational Command at Palam looking after all operational activity. After 1962 was three Operational Air Commands were created on a regional basis, namely, Western, Central and Eastern Air Commands. After 1971 war with Pakistan, No. 1 Ops group was created on 15 September 1972 to look after Rajasthan, Gujarat and maritime tasks for the IAF. This ops group was subsequently upgraded to South Western Air Command in July 1980. To cover the extensive southern areas of the country, the Southern Air Command was formed in July 1984. The IAF now has five operational air commands that are geographically delineated; the Western Air Command at Delhi, Central Air Command based at Allahabad, Eastern Air Command at Shillong, South Western Air Command at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and Southern Air Command with Headquarters at Trivandrum. In addition, there are two functional commands namely Training Command, which has its headquarters at Bangalore and Maintenance Command that operates from Nagpur in Central India. An Air Marshal heads each operational command. Within the air command's geographical boundaries are situated air force bases and units. Each operational command maintains a high state of readiness of its aircraft, missile systems, Radar sensors and other support equipment. Continuous radar surveillance is carried out along the nation's borders with armed fighter aircraft always ready to intercept any hostile ingress into the country's sovereign airspace.

Some Major Operations
The Indian Air Force has been strenuously involved in many other major operations, which have stretched the capacity of its transport force and helicopter fleet, but also dramatically proved its flexibility and capability. The first, Operation Meghdoot, was in support of the Indian Army and paramilitary forces in Northern Ladakh, to secure control of the heights predominating the Siachen Glacier, also referred to as the world's third pole and potentially a dangerous flash point on the disputed Northern borders. IAF IL076s, AN-12s and AN-32s transported stores and troops, airdropped supplies to high altitude airfields while Mi-17s, Mi-8s, Chetaks and Cheetahs ferried men and material to dizzy heights for above the limits set by the helicopter manufacturers. Operation Pawan, the mission of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka, lasted some thirty months. The statistics tell it all; some 70,000 sorties were flown by the IAF's transport and helicopter force to and within Sri Lanka, without a single aircraft lost or mission aborted. Operation Cactus - On the night of November 3, 1988, the Indian Air Force mounted special operations to airlift a parachute battalion group from Agra, non-stop over 2000 km, beyond the South-Western coast of India, to the remote Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives. In response to the Maldives Government's appeal for military help against a mercenary invasion, IL-76 aircraft of No. 44 Squadron landed at Hulule at 0030 hours. Indian paratroopers secured the airfield and restored Government rule at Male within hours, IAF Mirage-2000 and AN 32 aircrafts also supported the operation.

UN PEACE KEEPING
Canberra's in Congo An unusual task given to the IAF was to support United Nations operations in the Congo (now Zaire) in 1961-62 for dealing with the Katanga rebellion. Following an appeal by the UN for troops and combat aircraft, to restore law and order and keep peace, six Canberra B (1) 58s of No. 5 Squadron was flown from Agra to Central Africa. Operating from Leopoldville and Kamina, the Canberras soon destroyed the rebel air force, raided Katangan targets and generally provided the UN ground forces with its only long-range air support force. The IAF took part in peace keeping duties in Somalia from 01 Oct 93 to 21 Dec 94, as part of the Indian contingent supporting UN Operations. The IAF took part as the only air element comprising of Mi-8 & Mi-35 attack helicopters in UN peace keeping operations in Sierra Leone in 2000-2001. Operation Safed Sagar Operation Safed Sagar as the air operations in the Kargil area was called, was indeed, a milestone in the history of military aviation, as this was the first time that air power was employed in such an environment. Fighters as well as armed helicopters carried out many hundreds of sorties against the armed intruders who made ingresses into India territory in the region with the intention of acquiring territory. The use of air power in this theatre was instrumental in accelerating the end of conflict to India's advantage. IAF air strikes against enemy supply camps and other targets yielded rich dividends. A noteworthy fact is that there was not a single operation on ground that was not preceded by air strikes, each and every one of which was the result of co-ordinated planning between 15 Corps and the AOC, J & K. The enemy AF was kept off the back of the Indian Army. In the area of interdiction of enemy supplies, the successful and incessant attacks on the enemy's logistic machine, over the weeks, culminated in a serious degradation of the enemy's ability to sustain him. This is the first time that the IAF fought such a limited war, in what was, a turning point in the history of military aviation, and an operation that will, no doubt, be discussed and dissected for the next few years.

Aid to Civil Authorities : Earthquake in Bhuj
Over the years, the IAF has time and again come to the aid of India's millions when hit by natural calamity and disasters. Whether battling monsoon floods or rescuing marooned crew from floundering ships on the high seas, the IAF has built up a reputation for dependability in time of need. On Republic Day - 2001, an earthquake shook India. The epicenter of the earthquake was Bhuj and tremors of this massive quake were felt in most parts of the country 1000's kilometers away. Being so close to the epicenter, destruction at the Bhuj Air Force Base was as severe as in the rest of the city. The IAF did not wait to be called in. The need was evident. Within hours, it mobilised its fleet of IL-76s, AN-32 aircraft and Mi-17/Mi-8 helicopters and started moving relief material and personnel, both civil and military, to Bhuj. In the following two days, the IAF moved as many as seven IL-76, twenty-two AN-32s, five HS-748s, six Mi-8s, two Mi-17s, two Mi-26s and twelve Cheetah/Chetak helicopters into Bhuj & Jamnagar air bases. Unmindful of its own loss of personnel suffered by the disaster, a Casualty Treatment Centre was set up just outside the Station Sick Quarters to attend to the injured while the serious cases were dispatched to the Military Hospital. Teams of Doctors comprising of 3 Air Force surgeons and 9 medical assistants worked non-stop for 72 hours performing miracles in poor light and bad conditions to provide succor to the victims. With relief material flying in from all corners of the world and casualties flying out, 75-80 landings per day was the norm for the first ten days after the earthquake. The Transport and helicopter fleet of the Indian Air Force flew a total of 1921 hours in more than 1200 sorties towards relief efforts, carrying 31589 tonnes of load and evacuating more than 10, 150 persons from the affected areas. The untiring zeal by the pilots of the IAF ensured that many lives were saved and for those that were not-so fortunate, it was ensured that the last rites were conducted with dignity.

The Indian Air Force Today

STRIKE AIRCRAFT
The Jaguar is the front-line deep penetration strike aircraft in the inventory of the IAF. Equipped with state of the art avionics, attack system, laser designator and lethal weaponry, the aircraft can reach and attack not only ground based targets, but even maritime targets many hundreds of kilometers deep into the sea, with accuracy. Since its induction into the IAF in 1979, Jaguar has undergone many major modifications to enhance its fighting edge. The aircraft is currently being manufactured by HAL under license. The MiG-27ML and MiG-23BN represent the backbone of the IAF's counter-surface and medium range strike capability. These are swing-wing supersonic strike fighters capable of carrying various kinds of weaponry to support our land and sea forces.

AIR DEFENCE
MiG-29. This air superiority fighter is one of the most advanced air defence aircraft in the world today. It carries highly sophisticated airborne interception radar, which, in combination with the beyond-the-visual-range missiles has made the Indian air space virtually impregnable. Other MiG variants such as the MiG-21 Bis and MiG-23FL provide the bulk of air defence capability to the IAF to safeguard its vast airspace from enemy intrusions. The upgraded MiG-21 Bis, render the aircraft extremely potent and capable of providing service well into the next millennium. Another vital aspect of the country's air Defence that has been constantly modernised and upgraded since 1980's is the Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) force. The limitations faced by earlier SAM system particularly against fast, low flying enemy aircraft have been overcome with the induction of the SA-3 Pechora low level air defence SAM into the IAF's air defence network. Other air defence weapon systems include the SA-8 OSA-AK-M. The latter is mounted on a multi-wheeled chassis and its added mobility renders it an extremely capable battlefield target acquisition platform.

MULTIROLE AIRCRAFT
The Mirage-2000 fly-by-wire multi-role aircraft of the IAF is capable of undertaking both ground attack operations and air defence missions. This aircraft has incomparable manoeuvrability and sophisticated avionics sensor. It is capable of carrying smart weapons, which permit high precision attacks even against the most strongly defended enemy targets. In the air defence role, the aircraft relies on its multi-mode radar. Like other aircraft of the IAF such as the MiG-29, MiG-21 and MiG-27, the Mirages excelled in the flare up in Kargil with pinpoint attacks by day and night. The most recent acquisition in the IAF, the SU-30 has been designed in the genre of current generation of multi role fighter aircraft with awesome performance. Possibly, the most potent air superiority aircraft in the world today, this aircraft can be employed in both strike and air defence roles with equal ease. It can carry a large variety of modern weapons in any chosen mix and has impressive range and endurance, which is ideally suited for the defence of our extensive borders. The range and endurance of this aircraft can be further increased by mid-air refuelling, a true force multiplier.

AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
The MiG-25 is used by the IAF for strategic 'recce'. By virtue of its operating envelope, the aircraft enjoys near total immunity from enemy air defences. The aircraft carries sophisticated sensors capable of providing high-resolution images. The tactical 'recce' roles in the IAF are undertaken by a variety of fighter aircraft, which have been specially modified for the purpose. Jaguar, MiG-27 and MiG-21 are equipped to carry sophisticated optical and infrared sensors, which provide the capability to undertake 'recce' missions both by day and night. The Jaguar can also carry a Long Range Oblique Photographic Camera, which enables it to undertake stand off photography of enemy targets from within Indian air space.

AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEM
The transport force of the IAF expanded manifold froma modest beginning with the induction of the Dakota aircraft in 12 Squadron of the IAF in 1946. After the epoch making role the Squadron played in the Kashmir operations in March 1948, air maintenance of troops located at cease-fire-line and inaccessible areas became a standing commitment. The Northern borders foced increased deployment of troops on isolated pickets at great altitudes all over the vast Himalayan range by air. Maintenance and logistics supply to our ground troops by the IAF over the past fifty years could well be the singly longest and largest air logistics support in the world. The IAF has since operated a variety of transport aircraft, notably the Viscount, TU-124 and now the Boeing 737, Hs-748 (Avro), AN-32 and IL-76. The four engine IL-76 Jet is capable of carrying 40 tonnes of payload. Heavy and unwieldy loads like battle tanks, Infantry Combat Vehicles and heavy artillery can be readily flown by IL-76 to remote areas. The transport fleet of the IAF has time and again shown its on-call mobility.

VERTICAL COMPONENT
The rotorcraft of the IAF, since mid-50's have been chugging over treacherous high altitude terrain and over the jungles, to maintain the lifeline of those in remote areas to the coveted and hospitable interior. The induction of the Mi-8 helicopters gave a boost to the vertical component of the IAF in the early 70's. Augmented subsequently by superior Mi-17 helicopters, the Mi-8 and Mi-17 combination has undertaken arduous commitments, along with the Cheetah/Chetak helicopters, from Siachen to Sri Lanka. In April 1984, the world's highest, most inhospitable and unforgiving battlefield was established when the Indian Army took action to vacate encroachments on the Siachen Glacier. Since then, IAF helicopters defying sub-zero temperatures, operating at altitudes beyond their designer's specifications and flying over treacherous terrain, continue to provide a daily link with rear areas to our troops. In some cases the permissible load due to a combination of unusual constraints, is as low as just one passenger. Helicopter flying in Siachen sector is, therefore, and entirely exclusive experience to the IAF's helicopter crew. In addition to this, the Air Force team with its two Mi-8 helicopters forms a regular part of the yearly Antartic Expeditions, airlifting essential loads, scientists and providing observation inputs for various experiments and studies conducted at Dakshin Gangotri. Induction of the Mi-25 combat helicopter gave a new dimension to the role and image of the helicopter force, integrating them into the offensive elements while the induction of the largest helicopter, the Mighty Mi-26, has since imposed different responsibilities on the same family of aircrew.

IAF STEPS INTO THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
IAF has created legends, made history over the years. Today in the new millennium IAF looks poised and confident to take up the challenges that may come its way. It is confident to maintain its glory. The saga would continue with "Touching the sky with Glory".

sources: Press Information Bureau