Page 24 - Indian Air Force

Biden says he got 'sandbagged' after onstage fall at Air Force graduation

President Joe Biden quipped that he got "sandbagged" Thursday after he tripped and fell but was uninjured while onstage at the US Air Force Academy graduation. Biden had been greeting the graduates in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the front of the stage with salutes and handshakes, and turned to jog back toward his seat when he fell. He was helped up by an Air Force officer as well as two members of his US Secret Service detail. Onlookers, including some members of the official delegation onstage, watched in concern before Biden, who at age 80 is the oldest president in US history, returned to his seat to view the end of the ceremony. "I got sandbagged," the president told reporters with a smile when he arrived back at the White House on Thursday evening before pretending to jog into the residence. Two small black sandbags had been onstage supporting the teleprompter used by Biden and other speakers at the graduation. "He's fine," White House communications director Ben LaBolt .

Air Force's trainer aircraft crashes in Karnataka, pilots eject safely

A Kiran trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in an open field at a village in the district on Thursday but the two pilots made it out safely after ejecting from the plane before the crash. The training aircraft, which took off from the air force station in Bengaluru, crashed this morning at Bhogapura village. It was good fortune that aircraft hit the ground on barren land and not in the nearby village, a villager said, adding it would have been catastrophic if the plane had crashed into the village. District officials said the pilots, identified only as Tejpal and Bhumika, sustained minor injuries. No casualties were reported. According to the IAF, the pilots were on a routine training sortie when the incident occurred. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of accident. "A Kiran trainer aircraft of the IAF crashed near Chamrajnagar, Karnataka today, while on a routine training sortie. Both air crew ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been

IAF aircraft makes crash landing in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind; no casualty

An Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft on Monday made a crash landing in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district, a police official said. There was no casualty, he said. I have come to know that the aircraft made a crash landing. There was no fatality or injury in the landing (process)," Chambal Zone Inspector General of Police S Saxena told PTI over phone. Bhind Superintendent of Police Manish Khatri refused to speak on the incident saying the IAF spokesperson will inform about it.

Solid order book, indigenisation to keep defence stocks in demand: Analysts

Shares of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, MTAR Technologies, Bharat Electronics (BEL), and Bharat Dynamics (BDL) have skyrocketed up to 160 per cent in a year

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit takes over as Deputy Chief of Air Staff

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff on Monday. He succeeds Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Dixit was Commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. He is a graduate of the Staff Course, Bangladesh and National Defence College, New Delhi. The Air Marshal is a qualified flying instructor as well as an experimental test pilot, with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on fighter, trainer and transport aircraft. Air Marshal Dixit commanded a Mirage 2000 squadron, a frontline fighter base in the Western sector, as well as a premier fighter training base. He has earlier served as Principal Director Air Staff Requirement, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects) and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans) at Air headquarters. The Air Officer has also been the Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command and was Senior Air Staff Officer, South Western Air

B S Dhanoa highlights necessity of indigenous tech base for defence needs

Former Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa (retd) on Friday highlighted the evolving warfare scenario and emphasised the necessity of an indigenous technology base for the defence needs of the country. He was invited as a chief guest at the National Technology Day celebrations at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) Range Ramgarh in Panchkula. The evolving conflict scenario would require networking of assets and resources with precise targeting and minimum collateral damage, said Dhanoa, according to an official statement here on Friday. TBRL is a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which comes under the Ministry of Defence. TBRL Director Prof Parteek Kishore brought out the requirement for the synergetic development of next-generation technologies in collaboration with academia and industry. He said TBRL technology development roadmap as well as for enhancing the test and evaluation capabilities to support indigenous development of comple

Chequered history: Why the MIG-21 came to be called 'the flying coffin'

The crash in Rajasthan that killed 3 is the latest in a series of accidents involving the jet that is to be phased out by 2025

IAF's first C-295 tactical transport aircraft takes to the skies

This was the first time the defence ministry entrusted a private firm - TASL - to carry out the entire final assembly of a military aircraft

First C295 for India completes maiden flight: All you need to know

India acquired 56 C295 aircraft in September 2021 to replace the (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet

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