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Tag: IAF

  • 75th I-Day: In a first, IAF choppers shower flower petals after tricolour unfurled at Red Fort

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: In a first, two Mi-17 1V Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters showered flower petals at the venue of main Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort here after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the national flag.

    The petals were showered in the Amrut formation drawing loud applause and cheers from the audience.

    While the first chopper was controlled by Wing Commander Baldev Singh Bisht, the second was commanded by Wing Commander Nikhil Mehrotra.

    After the showering of flower petals, Prime Minister addressed the nation.

    Thirty-two Olympians who made the country proud at the Tokyo Games and two officials of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) were invited to participate in the Independence Day celebrations.

    Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who created history at the recently-concluded Olympics by winning the country’s first track-and-field gold medal, was among the 32 athletes.

    Delhi | Flower petals showered at the Red Fort by two Mi 17 1V helicopters of the Indian Air Force in Amrut Formation pic.twitter.com/zR9nAcSRGy
    — ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
    Talking about the IAF choppers showering flower petals, Ritika Joshi, who was present in the audience, said, “It was a sight to witness when flower petals dropped on each of us. We saluted the commanders.”

    For Shubhanshu Sharma, tricolour balloons released in the air was among the highlights of the celebrations.

    “This year having flower petals showered by IAF helicopters was a pleasant surprise which filled our hearts with respect for our forces,” he said.

    A separate block was created on the south side of the Red Fort’s ramparts for “Corona warriors” such as healthcare workers to honour them for the pivotal role they played in fighting the pandemic.

    India is commemorating its 75th Independence Day as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ under which a series of events have been organised across the country.

  • Torrential rains, overflowing dams cause major floods in MP’s Gwalior-Chambal region

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Surge in major rivers due to torrential rains and overflowing dams have caused major floods in a large part of the Gwalior-Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Rajasthan. Over 1100 villages in six districts of MP’s Gwalior-Chambal region have been hit by the flood. Among them, 200 are badly affected, while 22 have been marooned.

    All major rivers, including Sindh, Kuwari, Kuno, Chambal and Parvati are in spate in most districts of the region, including Shivpuri, Sheopur, Datia, Guna, Gwalior and Bhind districts. Out of these districts, Shivpuri is worst hit.

    “1600 people have been rescued so far by the state home guards, SDRF and NDRF teams, while the five helicopters of the Indian Air Force are airlifting people from various flood-hit villages, despite the weather being on the wrong side,” chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

    “The situation in Shivpuri is particularly grim as the district has reported 800 mm rainfall in just 48 hours. Our two cabinet ministers Yashodhara Raje Scindia and Mahendra Singh Sisodiya are camping in Shivpuri district and coordinating flood relief and rescue operations from a control room,” the CM said.

    With the MP CM requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence minister Rajnath Singh for armed forces, four columns of the Army, each column comprising 80 jawans have been rushed to MP from Gwalior and Jhansi to further accelerate the rescue of people stranded villagers — particularly in Shivpuri, Datia, Guna and Sheopur districts.

    While two NDRF teams are already engaged in rescue operations and three more have been sent from Varanasi and Lucknow in UP.

    In Datia district, two of three road bridges built over the Sindh river were washed out following the overflowing Manikheda Dam. Five trains have been partially cancelled or diverted by the West Central Railway’s Bhopal Division due to submerging of tracks between Shivpuri and Mahona.

    Meanwhile, the IAF rescue operations by five helicopters which started on Monday couldn’t take off for a long time on Tuesday, owing to inclement weather, particularly hanging clouds.

    Three villagers, including a teenager, had to spend around 15-20 hours on trees after being surrounded by flood in Bichi village of Shivpuri district. With the IAF copters not being able to reach the villagers stranded on the trees, it was the NDRF team that finally rescued them on Tuesday afternoon.

    Meanwhile, there seems to be no respite in sight for rain-flood affected districts, as the Met Department has sounded red alert for five districts, including Shivpuri, Guna and Sheopur (Gwalior-Chambal region), orange alert for nine districts and yellow alert for eight districts.

  • IAF chief meets his UAE counterpart, discusses measures to strengthen ties between two forces

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force (IAF) chief RKS Bhadauria met his UAE counterpart Ibrahim Nasser M Al Alawi and held wide-ranging talks to identify avenues and measures for further strengthening the robust relationship between the two forces, according to an official statement on Monday.

    Air Chief Marshal Bhadauri’s visit to the UAE comes nearly eight months after Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane travelled to that country.

    In December last year, Gen Naravane paid a six-day visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia in a first-ever trip by a head of the Indian Army to the two important Gulf countries.

    “Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), called on Major General Ibrahim Nasser M Al Alawi, Commander, UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAE AF & AD), on August 1, 2021,” the IAF tweeted.

    “They noted the rapid progress made in bilateral engagements and had wide-ranging talks to identify avenues and measures for further strengthening the robust relationship between the two Air Forces. CAS also visited major UAE AF&AD units during the two-day goodwill visit,” it added.

    CAS’ VISIT TO UAEAir Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria PVSM AVSM VM ADC Chief of the Air Staff called on Major General Ibrahim Nasser M. Al Alawi Cdr UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAE AF & AD) on 01 Aug 21. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/B3BUbfAyuo
    — Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) August 2, 2021

    The IAF had said on Saturday that it and the UAE’s Air Force have had significant professional interactions in the past few years and this visit by the IAF chief will further strengthen the defence cooperation and air force-level exchanges, as part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides.

    In the last few years, India’s ties with the UAE have witnessed a major upswing.

    The UAE Air Force had provided mid-air refuelling to a number of Rafale fighter jets on their journey from France to India.

    India is procuring 36 Rafale jets from France out of which 24 have already been delivered.

  • IAF inducts second squadron of Rafale fighters in Bengal’s Hasimara

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday formally inducted the second squadron of Rafale jets at West Bengal’s Hasimara airbase in Eastern Air Command (EAC).

    The 101 Squadron is the second IAF squadron to be equipped with the Rafale fighters. In September last year, the Rafale aircraft were inducted into the 17 “Golden Arrows” Squadron.

    Addressing the personnel at the air force station, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said the induction of the Rafale jets at Hasimara was carefully planned, keeping in mind the importance of strengthening the IAF’s capability in the eastern sector.

    Bhadauria said he has no doubt that the squadron would dominate whenever and wherever required, and ensure that the adversary would always be intimidated by its sheer presence.

    “The IAF formally inducted Rafale aircraft into No.101 Squadron at Air Force Station Hasimara in Eastern Air Command on July 28,” an IAF statement said.

    Air chief Bhadauria said: “The induction of Rafales had been carefully planned at Hasimara keeping in mind the importance of strengthening IAF’s capability in the Eastern Sector.”

    “I have no doubt that the Squadron would dominate whenever and wherever required and ensure that the adversary would always be intimidated by their sheer presence,” he added.

    ALSO READ | More than 90,000 job openings lying vacant in Indian Army: Defence Ministry

    He recalled the glorious history of the 101 Squadron, which earned it the title of “Falcons of Chamb and Akhnoor”.

    India and China have been locked in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh since May last year. In the northeast, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh share borders with China.

    The induction event included a fly-past heralding the arrival of the Rafale aircraft at Hasimara, followed by a traditional water-cannon salute, according to a statement issued by the IAF.

    India has so far received 26 of the 36 Rafale aircraft it has ordered from French firm Dassault Aviation, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

    “CAS urged the personnel to combine their zeal and commitment with the unmatched potential of the newly-inducted platform (Rafale),” the IAF said.

    The multi-role Rafale jets, built by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are known for air superiority and precision strikes.

    The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, 2020, nearly four years after the country signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.

  • More than 90,000 job openings lying vacant in Indian Army: Defence Ministry

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: While the Indian Army is facing a shortage of over 7,900 officers, more than 90,000 vacancies for soldiers including junior commissioned officers are also lying vacant, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said in a written reply to the query raised the Rajya Sabha.

    The Navy, which is considered third in terms of the size among all the three defense forces, stands second in terms of manpower shortages as it is short of 1,190 officers and 11,927 sailors in its ranks.

    Bhatt informed that the Army was short of 7,912 officers and 90,640 soldiers in its ranks and efforts are being made to fill up these vacancies.

    On the Indian Air Force, Bhatt said, “The IAF was short of 610 officers and 7,104 men in its ranks.”

    Bhatt said that the government has taken a number of measures to reduce the shortages.

    “These, inter-alia, include sustained image projection, participation in career fairs and exhibitions, and publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career,” added Bhatt.

    To encourage the youth to join the Armed Forces, motivational lectures are regularly organized in schools/colleges/other educational institutes and National Cadet Corps (NCC) camps, he further said.

    According to the Defence Ministry, the government has taken various steps to make the job in the Armed Forces attractive including improvement in promotion prospects in the Armed Forces and to fill up vacancies. 

  • Military reform process demands cohesion

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Difference of opinion on the biggest military reform in the country turned into a public spat on Friday, when Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria were caught in a debate over the role of the Air Force. Experts this newspaper spoke to felt airing differences in public has created an unhealthy situation. They think it also means not enough consultation has taken place.

    Longtime advocate of higher defence management reforms, Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) said: “Other nations attempting national security reform faced similar situations opposition to change and infighting over air power issues. However, they were forced by their governments to sit down and resolve differences.” The world’s most powerful US military took four years before a bill in the parliament was forced upon the military commanders. Even the UK faced similar problems, with services on divergent paths having tussles, arguments and counter arguments.

    There had been two prominent instances when the Indian armed forces were seen lacking cohesiveness. When the Indian Peace Keeping Force was formed, a joint command was tried and it did not succeed, leading to confusion, said an expert who did not wish to be named. In Kargil also, a similar scenario appeared, added the source. Resolution of these matters took time. Without going into details of the CDS-Air Chief spat, Admiral Prakash said: “It is too important an issue to rush through with half-baked solutions. They have to find consensus even if it takes time.”

    Major Gen SB Asthana (Retd), Defence Expert, said in the US, lawmakers played an important role by initiating a highly educated debate to change the structure. “India may have to wait before such erudite debates take place on complex matters.” Sources said since the beginning, IAF has been flagging the issue of dilution of the powers of the Chief of Air Staff. Today, India is facing two threats it is in a standoff with the largest military in the world, while the other adversary is devising new ways to disturb peace through drones/terror attacks.

    Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd) says discussions are for solutions. “Air power, within a hundred years of the first manned heavier-than-air flight, has graduated to pole position in war execution. With it’s virtual presence far from where it is positioned, air power can coerce and dissuade adversaries. In India’s case, the situation is similar and the IAF would carry the war deep into adversary territory. It is imperative that the government ensures the IAF’s bite does not get blunted due lack of resources. The IAF would be a major player in the joint application of power in any future conflict.”

    Modern war is swift and will need a joint approach. The present system of the 17 commands of the Army, Air Force and Navy spread out geographically may not work. With the aim of restructuring, the present government went in for the biggest post-Independence military reform. General Rawat was made CDS in January, 2020. The brief for him was “Facilitation of restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through the establishment of joint/theatre commands.”

    Theatre commands are to strengthen cohesion, pool in resources, cut duplication and redundancies. Seamless integration among the land, sea and air forces is expected to lead to better coordination and response. Also, this reform will clear the chain of command for better response in case of any exigency. Three services, under the new arrangement, will plan, train and practice joint warfare. The command of all the resources under one theatre will lie with one Commander, cutting time lag.

    India, as explained by the CDS, is planning to have five theatre Commands — Air Defence Theatre, Maritime Theatre, Eastern Theatre (China will be under it), Western Theatre (Pakistan) and Northern Theatre (Line of Control and Line of Actual Control together with counter-terror operations). Across the world, most militarily powerful nations have theaterised their armed forces. These include the US, UK, France, Russia and China. Even Pakistan is moving to reconfigure into this format. 

  • Air Marshal VR Chaudhari to take over as IAF’s new Vice Chief of Air Staff

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force and Army will see new faces at the top rung assuming charge from Thursday. Apart from the other important appointments, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will get its new Vice Chief and the Indian Army will get its new Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), a new vertical created last year as part of Army restructuring.

    Air Marshal VR Chaudhari is taking over as the new Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCOAS) on Thursday, July 1 with the retirement of Air Marshal HS Arora. Air Marshal Chaudhari was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOCinC) of Western Air Command from 01 Aug 2020. He was commissioned into Fighter Stream of the IAF on 29 Dec 1982 as a fighter pilot and has served nearly 39 years. He has flown a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircraft with a flying experience of more than 3800 hrs.

    Air Marshal BR Krishna who till now was the Director-General Air Operations of the IAF will be taking over as the new AOC in C Western Air Command on Thursday.  Air Marshal PM Sinha will be replacing him as the new DG Air Operations.

    Air Marshal Richard John Duckworth, who was the Air Officer in-charge Personnel of the Air Force will take charge as the AOC in C Central Air Command.

    With Lt Gen Sanjeev Sharma assuming charge on Thursday Army will see a new face as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) which is seen to be important and specially created as part of the restructuring of the Indian Army Headquarters. The first DCOAS (Strategy) Lt Gen Paramjit Singh retired on Wednesday.

    The post of DCOAS (Strategy) is a crucial appointment created last year as a third new vertical created to oversee Army’s operations, plans and logistics. The other two DCOAS are DCOAS (capability development and sustenance) and DCOAS (information systems & coordination)

    Lt Gen SK Sharma, an alumnus of Rashtriya Military School, Bengaluru was commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles in December 1983 and was the DG of Military Intelligence prior to assuming this key appointment.

    Lt Gen SP Goswamy will assume the charge of DG of Corps of Army Air Defence (AAD) as Lt Gen AP Singh retired on June 30. 

  • Twin explosions at IAF station in Jammu airport terror attack: J-K DGP Dilbag Singh

    By PTI
    JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Sunday termed the twin explosions at the high security Indian Air Force station in the Jammu airport a terror attack.

    The police, IAF and other agencies were investigating the attack, he said.

    Two IAF personnel were injured when two explosives-laden drones crashed into the station around 1.40 am.

    The blasts took place within six minutes of each other.

    The first blast ripped off the roof of a single-storey building at the technical area of the airport manned by the IAF in Satwari area of the city.

    The second one was on the ground, officials said.

  • Geopolitical uncertainty in neighbourhood has triggered major transformation in IAF: Air Chief

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The security challenges and geopolitical uncertainty in the neighbourhood have triggered monumental transformation through the infusion of technology into the Indian Air Force, said Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Saturday. The Air Chief was presiding over the Passing Out Parade at the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad.

    Air Chief Bhadauria said, “Rapid infusion of niche technology and combat power in every facet of our operations has never been as intense as it is now. This is primarily because of the unprecedented and rapidly evolving security challenges that we face, coupled with a rising geopolitical uncertainty in our neighbourhood and beyond.”

    India and China are locked in a standoff for more than a year at multiple points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. It was in May 2020 that Chinese soldiers clashed with Indian Army soldiers at Finger 4, North Bank of the Pangong Tso and mobilised their troops at multiple points in a standoff mode. More than 50,000 soldiers along with tanks, artillery guns, missiles and equipment are currently deployed on both sides of the 826 kilometre long LAC in Ladakh.  

    The Air Force, since last year, has positioned its aircraft at bases which will require minimum time to react to any contingency along the borders.

    Speaking about the role of the Air Force, Bhadauria said, “The last few decades have clearly established the critical role of air power in achieving victory in any conflict. It is in this backdrop that the IAF’s on-going capability enhancement assumes tremendous significance.”

    The Air Chief termed the time fortunate for the officers to be joining now. “Pilots will get to fly fighters carrying an array of potent standoff precision weapons and connected in networks. The transport and helicopter fleets are equipped with C-17, C-130, ALH, Chinook and Apache aircraft which are state of the art and capable of contributing equally effectively in war or Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) situations,” he said.

    Also, engineers will need to use the e-MMS, which is one of the largest networked aircraft maintenance management systems in the world. Controllers will have to adapt to vectoring fighters in large formations using digitised and networked and logistics officers will be working in automated procurement and resupply on inventory management. “All of you will be tied together with a completely paperless e-governance suite to enhance the efficiency of basic administration across the entire Air Force,” the Air Chief told the officers.

    A total of 161 officers got commissioned into various branches and services on Saturday including six officers from the Indian Navy and five officers from the Indian Coast Guard into the flying branch.

    The Air Chief complimented the Air Force Academy for not just completing the training despite severe COVID constraints and within the stipulated period but also setting a record of clocking over 20,500 hrs of flying over the last one year – the highest ever in its history.

    Talking about the transition towards integration of the forces, the Air Chief told the officers, “It is also essential for all of you to bear in mind that as future leaders, you will stand shoulder to shoulder with your comrades in Olive Greens and Whites and prosecute integrated operations. You will be an integral part of this important transition in the years ahead.”

  • Induction of Rafale aircraft into Indian Air Force by 2022: IAF Chief 

    By PTI
    HYDERABAD: IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria on Saturday said the induction of 36 Rafale aircraft into the Indian Air Force would take place by 2022.

    The IAF is absolutely on target with respect to the Rafale induction plan, he said while responding to a reporters’ query on timeline for receiving the 36 fighter jets from France.

    “The target is 2022. It is absolutely on target. I mentioned earlier. Except for one or two aircraft, minor delays because of COVID related issues, but, in fact, some deliveries have been ahead of time. So, broadly, we are absolutely on target on the Rafale induction plan.

    “On the operationalisation plan, you are aware, we are fully operational..so, in terms of time, we will be absolutely on time,” he told reporters after reviewing the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal here.

    In 2016, India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36-Rafale jets at a cost Rs 59,000 crore.

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had in February said the country would have the entire fleet of the fighter aircraft by April 2022.

    Asked for his assessment on the situation in eastern Ladakh on the Indo-China border, the IAF Chief said talks are on between the two sides and the first attempt is to continue with the parleys and carry out the disengagement at the “balance friction points.”

    “The first attempt is to continue with the talks and do the disengagement at the balance friction points. And, of course, follow it up with de-escalation,” he said.

    “However, in parallel, the ground realities are being monitored closely.

    Whatever is the reality across, in terms of current leftover locations, deployments, any changes, that is being monitored closely and whatever actions are required on our part, we are taking, Bhadauria said.