Indian Air Force Day – 23 Interesting Facts You Should Know

The Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrates its anniversary every year on October 8, and this year it celebrates its 88th. The Indian Air Force Day celebration marks its formation by the British Empire back in the year 1932 under the Air Force Act.

This year’s celebration will be special as the newly-inducted Rafale fighter aircraft will feature in the Indian Air Force Day parade. Calling it a momentous journey of 88 Years, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria also complimented the Indian air warriors in a video message.

At present, the Indian Air Force is one of the top 5 powerful air forces in the world alongside the United States, Russia, and others. The IAF has proved its mettle over the years and fulfilled its duty of providing aerial security to the hilt.

Here is the Indian Air Force anthem released via their Twitter handle yesterday, a day ahead of the celebrations.

To laud our force, we bring you 21 inspiring & interesting facts that will make you proud as an Indian.

• The IAF was known as the Royal Indian Air Force from 1945 to 1950. In 1950, when India became a republic, “Royal” was dropped and started to be referred to as Indian Air Force.
• Air Marshal Sir Thomas Walker Elmhirst, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force, made the IAF an independent service force with no direct control of the Army.
• The IAF has near 1,39,576 active personnel and 1,40,000 reserve personnel. It is the fourth largest air force in the world. It is also the seventh in terms of strength.
• According to Flight International, there are around 1,721+ aircraft including Su-30MKI, Jaguars, Mirage-2000, Apache, Chinook, and Rafale in service with the Indian Air Force.

• The IAF’s motto Nabha Sparsham Deeptham is taken from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. The way Lord Krishna shows his divine form to Arjuna, in a similar way, the IAF aims to overwhelm its adversaries of aerospace to defend the nation.
• Five Rafale fighter jets were formally inducted into the IAF on September 10, 2020, in a major boost to India’s air power capability at a time when the country is engaged in a tense border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. The jets built by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation are known for air superiority and precision strikes. The second batch of four to five Rafale jets is likely to arrive in India by November.
• Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh has been chosen as the first Rafale woman fighter pilot.
• 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.
• 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). In a show of strength to China, the IAF landed its C-130J Super Hercules transport plane at Daulat Beg Oldie airstrip in Ladakh on August 20, 2013.

• IAF created a world record by airlifting around 20,000 civilians in ‘Raahat’ mission during floods in Uttarakhand.
• Hindon Air Force Station, situated near Ghaziabad is the largest in Asia and the 8th largest in the world. The highest Air Force Station of the force is Siachen Glacier AFS situated at a height of 22,000 ft or (or 6,706 m).
• During Operation Meghdoot in 1984, the IAF transport aircraft lifted hundreds of Indian troops to secure Siachen glacier.
• The IAF’s special force unit ‘The Garud Commando Force’ was formed in the year 2004. The unit has over 2,000 trained personnel today who conduct search, rescue, and disaster relief operations.

• The IAF has over 60 airbases all over India that are grouped into 7 commands. The Western Air Command is the largest with 16 airbases and the Central Air Command is the smallest with 7 airbases respectively.
• The IAF also has its base in the foreign. The Farkhor Airbase located in Farkhor near Tajikistan is India’s first and only military base outside the country’s borders.
• The IAF manages Air Force Network (AFNet)-Air Force Network which is a state-of-the-art, fully secure, and reliable network (Intranet) and gigabyte digital information grid.
• From October 1, 1993, to December 21, 1994, the IAF took part in peacekeeping duties in Somalia as part of the Indian contingent supporting UN operations.
• In 1960, the IAF engaged in conflict outside the country, when Belgium’s 75-year rule over Congo ended abruptly. They activated No. 5 Squadron to support the United Nations Operation in the Congo.

• The force destroyed more than 29 Pakistani tanks, 40 APCs, and a railway train during the Battle of Longewala in the 1971 Indo-Pak War besides a number of critical installations. By the time Pakistani forces surrendered, the IAF claimed 94 PAF aircraft, including 54 F-86 Sabres.
• Among all wars with Pakistan, the Kargil war was vital. In 1999, the Indian forces had successfully repulsed the Pakistani forces from Kargil with the support of IAF’s MiGs and Mirage.
• Following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the 2019 Pulwama attack that was carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed which killed forty-six servicemen of the Central Reserve Police Force, a group of twelve Mirage 2000 fighter planes from the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes on alleged JeM bases in Chakothi and Muzaffarabad in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Furthermore, the Mirage 2000s targeted an alleged JeM training camp in Balakot.
• On 27 February 2019, in retaliation for the IAF bombing of an alleged terrorist hideout in Balakot, a group of PAF Mirage-5 and JF-17 fighters allegedly conducted an airstrike against certain ground targets over the Line of Control. They were intercepted by a group of IAF fighters consisting of Su-30MKI and MiG-21 jets and one PAF F-16 was shot down by an IAF MIG-21 piloted by Abhinandan Varthaman.
• Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee was the first Indian Chief of Air Staff. His tenure lasted for a year, starting from April 1, 1954, till March 31, 1955.
• As of today, there have been 26 Air Chief Marshal in the Indian Air Force since its inception

A Happy 88th Indian Air Force Day!!!