Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force (?????? ???? ???? : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Military of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting air-based warfare and securing Indian airspace. It was established on October 8, 1932 as the Royal Indian Air Force. The prefix Royal was dropped after India became a Republic in 1950. It is the fourth largest airforce in the world and operates 1100+ combat and 1500+ non-combat aircraft.

IAF Aircraft

See List of aircraft of the IAF which includes a list of current, future and histortical aircraft of the IAF.

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The Indian Air Force has a strength of 750+ combat aircrafts and presently operates with a total of 42 squadrons.

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Most of the IAF's fighter jets are Russian-, French-, British- and Swedish-built. The indegeniously-built light combat fighter aircraft HAL Tejas is expected to enter service by 2010. The various types of combat aircraft in the IAF are listed below.

Related Topics:
HAL Tejas - 2010

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Air combat aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI (MKI: 'Multifunctional Commercial - Indian') is the IAF's prime air superiority combat aircraft. The Su-30K variant was first acquired in 1996. In October 2004, the IAF signed a multi-billion US$ contract with Sukhoi according to which Hindustan Aeronautics was given the license to manufacture 140+ Su-30MKI's with full technology transfer. HAL plans to manufacture about 15 of these aircraft annually. The twin seater, multi-role fighter has a maximum speed of 2500 km/h (Mach 2.35) and has a service ceiling of 17,500 metres. The aircraft with a normal fuel load 5270 kg can travel upto 1900 miles and can carry 8,000 kg external armament.

Related Topics:
Sukhoi Su-30MKI - 1996 - October - 2004 - Sukhoi - Hindustan Aeronautics - HAL - Mach

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Multi role combat aircraft

These are aircraft for strike, offensive support and air defence purposes. The IAF currently posseses several multi-role fighter jets that perform these functions. Single-seater Mirage 2000 and MiG-29 serve both strike and defense squadrons. The MiG-29 (fulcrum) has a top speed of 2445 km/h (Mach 2.3) and is armed with a 30 mm cannon alongwith R-60 & R-27 R missiles. Capable of flying at 2500 km/h (Mach 2.3), the Mirage 2000 is the IAF's prime ground-attack fighter jet. This aircraft can carry a wide range of weaponry including two 30 mm integral cannons, two Matra super 530D medium-range missiles and two R-550 Magic close combat missiles. 175+ multi-role MiG-21 (Fishbed) combat aircraft have been serving the IAF for the past two decades. The air force plans to eventually replace MiG-21s with the indegeniously-built LCA HAL Tejas by about 2011.

Related Topics:
Mirage 2000 - MiG-29 - MiG-21 - LCA - HAL Tejas - 2011

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Strike, attack and offensive support aircraft

Squadrons of Jaguar IM, MiG-27 and MiG-23 aircrafts serve as the IAF's primary strike force. The twin-engine Jaguar, with a top speed of Mach 1.3, is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The IAF currently posses 100 Jaguar IM and 20 maritime strike Jaguar IS aircraft. The single-seater MiG-27 carries one GSh-6-30 30mm cannon, 4000 kg of general purpose SPPU-22 and SPPU-6 gun pods, and various guided air-to-surface missiles.

Related Topics:
Jaguar IM - MiG-27 - MiG-23 - GSh-6-30

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Reconnaissance aircraft

Besides various unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance, the IAF also posses several MiG-25 (Foxbat) R, U reconnaissance aircraft. The high-speed interceptor aircraft carries four R-40 (AA-6 'Acrid') air-to-air missiles, two R-23 (AA-7 'Apex') and four R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid') or R-73 (AA-11 'Archer'). The MiG-25, in service since the late 1980s, is due to be replaced. In 2003, the IAF bought 6 IL-78 aircrafts from Russia. The aircraft's primary role is mid-air re-fueling. Later on, the IAF fitted the aircrafts with Israeli Phalcon early warning and communication systems, making the Il-78 capable of carrying out reconnaissance missions.

Related Topics:
MiG-25 (''Foxbat'') R, U - Reconnaissance - Interceptor - R-40 (AA-6 'Acrid') - Air-to-air missile - R-23 (AA-7 'Apex') - R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid') - R-73 (AA-11 'Archer') - 2003 - IL-78 - Russia

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Unmanned aerial vehicles

The IAF currently operates IAI Malat-built Searcher MkII and Heron UAVs. IAF units are being provided with these UAVs progressively and projected to bolster one of the largest UAV fleets of the world. Israel Aircraft Industries will also assist Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), India's leading unmanned aerial vehicle research agency, to develop three new UAVs. HAL Lakshya, indegeniously-developed pilotless target aircraft, was inducted into the IAF in July 2005.

Related Topics:
IAI Malat - Heron - UAV - Aeronautical Development Establishment - Unmanned aerial vehicle - HAL Lakshya - July - 2005

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Support helicopter

An important objective of the IAF is to support ground troops by providing air-cover and by transporting men and essential commodities across the battlefield. The list of helicopters currently in service with the IAF:

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• Mi-17 1V (Hip-H)
• Mi-17 (Hip-H)
• Mi-8 (Hip)
• Mi-25/35 (Hind)
• HAL Dhruv
• HAL Cheetah
• HAL Chetak

Training aircraft

In 2003, the IAF placed an order for 66 Hawk T.1 training aircraft in a deal worth over 1 billion GBP. The supply of these advanced trainer aircraft will bring to an end the use of the MiG-21 as a training jet. Indian pilots currently graduate on the MiG-21 aircraft which is built solely for combat missions and not for training -a major reason for the deaths of 52 young IAF pilots in more than 100 air crashes over the past 6 years. India also manufactures less-sophisticated HAL HJT-16 Kiran and HPT-32 Deepak basic training aircraft.

Related Topics:
2003 - Hawk T.1 - MiG-21 - India - HAL - HJT-16 Kiran

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