Page 23 - Indian Air Force

Defence Min Rajnath Singh inaugurates IAF Heritage Centre in Chandigarh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the first-of-its-kind Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage Centre here on Monday, officials said. The Centre has been set up under a memorandum of understanding between the Union Territory of Chandigarh and the IAF which was signed last year. Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher were also present on the occasion. The IAF chief had visited the Indian Air Force Heritage Centre last month to review its progress. Spread over 17,000 square feet, this is the first heritage centre of the IAF and depicts its role in various wars, including in 1965, 1971 and the Kargil war, and the Balakot air strike through murals and memorabilia. Its exhibits will be a source of inspiration for future generations and will showcase the indomitable spirit of the Indian Air Force, officials said.

Defence firm Thales faces French bribery probe over India Mirage deal

A preliminary investigation has been opened into allegations by Sanjay Bhandari, who said in a court case that he served as a middleman to help Thales win the contract

Indian Air Force brings back another 192 people from violence-hit Sudan

The aircraft refuelled at Jeddah to undertake a non-stop flight from Jeddah, via war-torn Sudan, to India

Air Force plane carrying 246 Indians evacuated from Sudan lands in Mumbai

An Indian Air Force aircraft with 246 Indians evacuated from war-torn Sudan landed in Mumbai on Thursday. The plane, which took off from Jeddah around 11 am IST, landed here around 3.30 pm, an official said. Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport, tweeted Union minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan minutes before the plane left for Mumbai. Under 'Operation Kaveri', India has been taking its citizens in buses from conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in Indian Air Force's heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navy's ships. The distance between Khartoum and Port Sudan is around 850 km and the travel time by bus varies from 12 hours to 18 hours considering the prevailing situation and whether the vehicles are operating during the d

IAF takes charge; C-130J aircraft lands in Port Sudan for evacuation

Amid ongoing conflict, Indian Air Force aircraft have landed in Port Sudan for evacuation operations, the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed on Tuesday.Indian Air Force's C-130J aircraft have reached Sudan to evacuate stranded Indians as the process of evacuations continues in the violence-hit North African country."#OperationKaveri takes to the skies. IAF C-130J aircraft lands in Port Sudan to undertake evacuation operations," Bagchi tweeted, as he informed about the same.Earlier today (local time), Indians stranded in Sudan departed from the conflict-torn country in the first phase of 'Operation Kaveri'. The third Saryu-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departed from Port Sudan for Jeddah.Moreover, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Tuesday inspected the transit facility at the International Indian School, Jeddah where Indians evacuated from Sudan will be received & ..

As India prepares for Sudan evacuation, a look at earlier rescue operations

The government has announced that it was working to ensure the safety of more than 3,000 Indian citizens in Sudan

2 IAF aircraft on standby in Jeddah to evacuate Indians from Sudan

India has put two C-130J military transport aircraft on standby in Jeddah while an Indian Navy ship reached a key port in the region as part of the government's plans to evacuate stranded Indians from violence-hit Sudan. Giving out the details, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said contingency plans for the evacuation of Indians have been put in place but any movement on the ground would depend on the security situation. It said the security situation in Sudan continues to be "volatile" with reports of fierce fighting coming from various locations in the country's capital Khartoum. The MEA said India is making all-out efforts to ensure the safety and security of Indians stranded in Sudan. "We are closely monitoring the complex and evolving security situation in Sudan," it said. "We are also coordinating closely with various partners for the safe movement of those Indians who are stranded in Sudan and would like to be evacuated," the MEA said. Apart from the Sudanese authorit

IAF top commanders begin deliberations on boosting India's air power

Top commanders of the Indian Air Force began deliberations on national security challenges and ways to bolster India's overall air power on the first day of a three-day conference on Wednesday. Officials said the commanders will also carry out a comprehensive review of the security situation along the border with China and Pakistan and the force's preparations to deal with any contingency. The commanders will hold wide-ranging deliberations on the IAF's plans for the future with an aim to bolster its combat capabilities. "The IAF Commanders' Conference 2023 commenced today with an opening address by the CAS Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari. Based on the theme 'Beyond Boundaries - Robust Foundations', the Conference will see the Commanders discuss plans for the future," the IAF said in a tweet. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to address the commanders on Thursday.

Future wars would need capability of 'seeing', 'striking' first': IAF chief

According to the IAF, the seminar aimed to explore the changing nature of aerospace power and its role in future battlespace operations

Balakot ops showed air power effectiveness in no war, no peace: IAF chief

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday highlighted the critical importance of India's air power considering the nature of its adversaries and said the Balakot operations of 2019 demonstrated its effectiveness even in a 'no war, no peace' scenario and under a "nuclear overhang". The Chief of Air Staff said air power has become an option of choice due to "inherent flexibility" and "unmatched" precision strike capability. "Operations like Balakot have also demonstrated that given the political will, aerospace power can be effectively used in a no war, no peace scenario, under a nuclear overhang without escalating into a full blown conflict," he said. "This is very important given the nature of our adversaries. The response options available to the leadership have suddenly increased and increasingly, air power has become an option of choice due to inherent flexibility and unmatched precision strike capability," he said. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari was speaking at a seminar on ...

IAF to deploy four Rafale jets in first overseas exercise in France

India will deploy four Rafale jets, two C-17 aircraft and two IL-78 mid-air refuellers for a nearly three-week multinational air exercise at France's Mont-de-Marsan military base. It will be the first overseas exercise for the Indian Air Force's Rafale jets. The contingent of the Indian Air Force will leave for France on Friday. "An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent will be departing tomorrow for France to participate in Exercise Orion at Mont-de-Marsan," the IAF said. "The exercise will be conducted from April 17 to May 5 with the IAF contingent comprising four Rafale jets, two C-17, two ll-78 aircraft and 165 air warriors. Besides the IAF and the French Air and Space Force (FASF), the exercise will be participated by air forces from Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States. "Participation in this exercise would further enrich the employment philosophy of the India Air Force, by imbibing the best practices from other Air Forces," t

IAF chief flies sortie to mark completion of over 200,000 flying hours

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari on Wednesday flew a sortie in a Pilatus PC-7 MK II at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, to mark the completion of more than two lakh flying hours in a decade of operations by the aircraft. The Indian Air Force tweeted and also shared pictures of the aircraft with the IAF chief onboard it. "To commemorate the completion of over two lakh flying hours in a decade of operations by the Pilatus PC-7 MK II, the CAS, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari flew a sortie in the aircraft today at Air Force Academy, Dundigal," the IAF tweeted. Pilatus PC-7 Mk-II is a turboprop, tandem seating, basic trainer aircraft of the IAF. It is equipped with a glass cockpit, and modern navigation aids and is used for ab-initio training of flight cadets at the Air Force Academy. Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus, in July 2018, handed over its 75th PC-7 MkII training aircraft to the IAF, marking the final delivery under a contract signed in 2012. The first delivery had

War in space a possibility, relevant developments needed: CDS Chauhan

Highlighting the intense race towards militarisation of space, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan on Tuesday made a strong pitch for developing dual-use platforms with a special focus on incorporating cutting-edge technology in the space domain. Inaugurating a three-day Indian DefSpace Symposium organised by Indian Space Association (ISpA), Gen Chauhan said the steady traffic towards weaponisation of space has led to a possibility of a war in space. "Space is a domain which is enhancing capabilities of other domains of land, sea, air and even cyber. The military application of space is the dominant discourse from which we cannot remain divorced," he said. The CDS flagged the anti-satellite tests carried out by Russia and China and stressed on the need for India to build offensive and defensive capabilities in the space domain. "As far as India is concerned, the present and future challenges are that India should transit from space support to a space enhancement in the sp

GCM recommends sacking of Group Captain for 2019 crash of Mi-17 chopper

A General Court Martial (GCM) instituted by the Indian Air Force has recommended sacking of a Group Captain for the crash of a Mi-17 V5 helicopter in Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir after it was hit by a missile on February 27, 2019, official sources said on Tuesday. The attack helicopter was struck by the IAF's own surface-to-air missile when the chopper was on its way back to Srinagar on the day Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a dogfight, according to a Court of Inquiry. The sources said the GCM ordered dismissal of Group Captain Suman Roy Chowdhury, who was serving then as the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Srinagar Air Force Station. Six IAF personnel on board the chopper and a civilian on the ground were killed in the crash. The sources said the IAF can only act on the GCM's recommendation after a decision on a case relating to the incident by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. According to laid down norms, the Chief of Air Staff has to give an approval on

With an eye on the Indian Ocean, China planning radar base in Sri Lanka

The radar base will focus on monitoring the activities of the Indian Navy, apart from attempting to evaluate India's strategic assets in South India

First lot of women officers to join Army's artillery regiments this month

The Centre has approved the Indian Army's decision to induct women officers in the artillery regiments, Minister of State for Defence, Ajay Bhatt informed the Lok Sabha on March 31

India, Russia to work on developing hypersonic version of BrahMos: Report

Hypersonic weapon systems are advanced military technologies that can travel at speeds of Mach 5 or higher. Mach 1 defines the speed of sound

Assam government to negotiate over erection of boundary wall by IAF

With the Indian Air Force purportedly erecting a boundary wall around the memorial of noted litterateur Chandradhar Barua in Jorhat district, the Assam government on Friday said it will initiate negotiations with the stakeholders concerned. State Revenue Minister Jogen Mohan gave the assurance in the state Assembly after the matter was raised by BJP legislator Hitendra Nath Goswami during the Question Hour. We will ask the Jorhat DC to call for a meeting with the IAF and other stakeholders at the earliest and negotiate the matter, Mohan said. Barua (1874-1961) was a writer, poet, dramatist and lyricist and the second president of the Assam Sahitya Sabha. Goswami pointed out that Barua's family had donated land to the IAF in the Rowriah area of Jorhat to set up its base. An area was earmarked in the name of Rowriah Tea Garden Pvt Ltd on which Barua's memorial was erected by the family in the 1960s, the minister said. However, the portion has now been included within the IAF premi

IAF's 'Kargil Courier' airlifted over 3,000 stranded passengers this winter

The Indian Air Force's 'Kargil Courier' service airlifted over 3,000 stranded passengers during the closure of the 434-kilometre-long Srinagar-Leh National Highway this winter, an official said on Tuesday. The 'Kargil Courier' service started from January 18. In all, 3,228 passengers availed the services of the AN-32 and the IL-76 aircraft provided by the Indian Air Force for the residents of Ladakh, the official said. Among them, 39 passengers were airlifted from Jammu to Kargil in an AN-32 sortie on Tuesday, he said. While the AN-32 aircraft operated between Kargil and the twin capitals of Jammu and Srinagar, IL-76 sorties were arranged between Srinagar-Leh and Jammu-Leh for stranded passengers, the official said. In addition, several hundred stranded passengers were airlifted from Chandigarh to Leh in the IL-76 aircraft on the personal intervention of Ladakh Lt Governor Brig (Retd) BD Mishra, he added.

Def ministry signs contract worth Rs 3700 cr with BEL for radars, receivers

The defence ministry on Thursday signed two contracts worth over Rs 3,700 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for radars and receivers, which will enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force. The first contract worth over Rs 2,800 crore pertains to the supply of Medium Power Radars (MPR) 'Arudhra' for the IAF, and the second, at an overall cost of around Rs 950 crore, relates to 129 DR-118 Radar Warning Receivers (RWR). Both projects are under 'Buy IndianIDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)' category. The projects are aimed at enhancing surveillance, detection, tracking and electronic warfare capabilities of the air force. "These essentially embody the spirit of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and will help facilitate the realisation of the country's journey to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing," the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a statement. MPR (Arudhra) radar has been indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and