Portal:India/Today's selected article/May 11, 2006



Indian Air Force is the air-arm of the Armed Forces 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 air force in the world. It has a strength of 750+ combat aircraft and presently operates with a total of 42 squadrons. The Sukhoi is the IAF's prime air superiority combat aircraft. The IAF currently possesses several multi-role fighter jets that perform these functions. Single-seater Mirage 2000 and MiG-29 serve both strike and defense squadrons. The IAF currently possesses 100 Jaguar IM and 20 maritime strike Jaguar IS aircraft. In 2003, the IAF bought 6 IL-78 aircraft from Russia. The aircraft's primary role is mid-air re-fueling. It currently operates IAI Malat-built Searcher MkII and Heron UAVs. 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. (more...)