The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces, tasked with securing Indian airspace and conducting aerial warfare during armed conflict. Formally established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary force of the Royal Air Force, it gained full operational independence after India's independence in 1947. It now ranks as the fourth-largest air force in the world by personnel and aircraft strength, after the United States, Russia and China.

Key facts

  • Founded: 8 October 1932; the date is observed annually as Air Force Day
  • Motto: Nabha Sparsham Deeptam, meaning "Touch the Sky with Glory", drawn from the Bhagavad Gita
  • Headquarters: Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan), New Delhi
  • Structure: seven commands, five operational and two functional
  • Sanctioned fighter squadron strength: 42; actual strength around 31 through the mid-2020s
  • Current chief: Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, the 28th Chief of the Air Staff, in office since 30 September 2024

Role and mandate

The IAF's primary mandate is to defend Indian airspace and support ground and naval forces in joint operations. Its responsibilities span air superiority, strategic and tactical airlift, aerial reconnaissance, air defence of vital installations, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions such as evacuation flights and relief-material airdrops during floods, earthquakes and cyclones. It has been employed in every major conflict India has fought since independence, including the wars with Pakistan and China, and in more recent cross-border operations.

Command structure

Operational control of the IAF is exercised through seven commands, each headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Air Marshal rank. Five are operational commands aligned to geographic sectors: Western, Eastern, Central, South Western and Southern Air Commands. Training Command and Maintenance Command are functional commands responsible for aircrew training and aircraft servicing respectively. The Chief of the Air Staff, based at Air Headquarters in New Delhi, exercises overall command, assisted by the Vice Chief of the Air Staff as principal staff officer.

Aircraft fleet

The IAF operates a mixed fleet of Russian, French and indigenous aircraft. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI, licence-built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, forms the backbone of the fighter fleet with well over 250 aircraft in service. The Dassault Rafale, inducted from 2020, adds a modern multi-role capability armed with beyond-visual-range Meteor missiles and SCALP cruise missiles. Older types including the Mirage 2000, Jaguar and MiG-29 remain in service alongside the indigenous HAL Tejas, which is being inducted in growing numbers as the IAF's future frontline light fighter. Transport and support assets include the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules, IL-76 and IL-78 tankers, and the indigenously developed Netra airborne early warning aircraft.

Squadron strength concerns

Against a government-sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons, the IAF has been operating with around 31 squadrons through the mid-2020s, a gap that has widened as Cold War-era MiG-21 and other ageing aircraft have retired faster than replacements have arrived. Delays in Tejas Mk1A production and the long-stalled Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft procurement have pushed the goal of restoring full squadron strength out towards 2035-2040. The shortfall remains a closely watched issue in India's defence planning, given the two-front challenge posed by Pakistan and China.

As the aerial guardian of the world's most populous nation, the Indian Air Force continues to modernise its fleet, expand indigenous production under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and adapt its command structure to meet evolving regional security challenges.