Primary aim of Indian Air Force is to secure India’s airspace and aerial welfare during conflicts or war. President is the supreme commander of Indian Air Force.
Aircrafts are basically classified into 9 categories :-
- 1. Combat Aircrafts
- 2. Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS)
- 3. Reconnaissance
- 4. Electronic Warfare
- 5. Aerial refueling
- 6. Transport
- 7. Helicopters
- 8. Trainer Aircrafts
- 9. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
- Combat Aircrafts They are also known as Warplanes. They are basically designed to destroy enemy equipment and are basically used by military forces. They are used in battlefields mostly as to show airspace supremacy. Few of the active combat aircrafts in India are :- (i) Dassault Rafale – procured from France (ii) Sukhoi Su-30/ Su-30 MKI – procured from Russia (iii) MIG-29 UPG – procured from Russia (iv) HAL Tejas ( MK1 and MK1A) – made in India (v) Mirage 2000 – procured from France (vi) SEPECAT Jaguar – procured from UK (vii) MIG 21 Bison – procured from Soviet Union
Sukhoi Su-30/ Su-30 MKI 
HAL Tejas 
MIG 21 BISON - AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System) These are long range surveillance and control center for AIR DEFENSE. They have radar antenna fitted on their back which helps them to detect flying objects and also maritime traffics. Few of the active AWACS are :- (i) Beriev A-50 EI – procured from Soviet Union (ii) EMB-145 – procured from Brazil – Equipped with DRDO’s Netra AEW&C System
Beriev A-50 - Reconnaissance These are spy aircrafts. During WORLD WAR I aircrafts worked as reconnaissance or ‘eye of the army’. They are now used for detecting enemy actions and their artilleries. Few of the active Reconnaissance are :- (i) Gulfstream G100 – procured from Israel (ii) Boeing 737 – procured from United States (iii) Boeing 707 – procured from United States
Gulfstream G100 - Electronic Warfare They are used to weaken the enemy radar or equipment if detected in our zone without permission or during warfare. They also have jammers in them which can make them loose contact with the host. Few of the active Electronic Warfare are :- (i) Gulfstream III – procured from United States (ii) Global 5000 – procured from United States
Gulfstream III - Aerial refueling It is also known as air refueling or in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR) or tanking. It is basically used to refuel in air while their is a long flight or can be used during wartime to refuel without landing. Like when Rafales were coming to India from France they were refueled in air by French Tankers. The active refueling system in India is Ilyushin II-78 which is procured from Soviet Union.
Ilyushin II-78 - Transport They are also known as Military Cargo Aircrafts. These are used to airlift the military equipment and also troops. They can also be used for civil emergency relief missions. for example during then COVID-19 crisis the Cargo aircrafts were being used to deliver essential medicines, or equipment being used for treatment. Few of the active Transport aircrafts are :- (i) Ilyushin II-76 – procured from Soviet Union (ii) Boeing C-17 – procured from United States (iii) C-130J Super Hercules – procured from United States (iv) Antonov An-32 – procured from Ukraine (v) Hawker Siddeley HS 748 – procured from United Kingdom (vi) Dornier 228 – procured from Germany (vii) Boeing 777 – procured from United States (viii) Boeing 737 – procured from United States (ix) Embraer Legacy 600 – procured from Brazil
Hawker Siddeley HS 748 
Dornier 228 
Embraer Legacy 600 
C-130J Super Hercules - Helicopters For military purposes they are equipped with missile launchers and miniguns. They are also used as for transport purposes. Few active Helicopters as owned by India are :- (i) HAL Light Combat Helicopter – made in India (ii) Boeing AH-64 Apache – procured from United States (iii) Mil Mi- 24 – procured from Russia (iv) HAL Rudra – made in India (v) CH-47 Chinook – procured from United States (vi) Mil Mi 26 – procured from Russia (vii) Mil Mi 17 – procured from Russia (viii) HAL Dhruv – made in India (ix) HAL Light Utility Helicopter – made in India (x) HAL Chetak – made by India and France (xi) HAL Cheetah – mad by India and France
HAL Light Combat Helicopter 
Boeing AH-64 Apache 
Mil Mi- 24 
CH-47 Chinook 
HAL Chetak 
HAL Cheetah - Trainer Aircrafts They are basically used for training purposes of the pilots and aircrews. Few Active Trainer Aircrafts are :- (i) Pilatus PC 7 – procured from Switzerland (ii) BAE Hawk – procured from United Kingdom (iii) HAL Kiran – made in India (iv) Mirage 2000 – procured from France (v) MiG 21 – procured from Soviet Union
Pilatus PC 7 
BAE Hawk 
HAL Kiran - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV) They are commonly known as drones. Other names are uncrewed aerial vehicle or unmanned aircraft or uncrewed aircraft. It is a small aircraft that doesn’t have a human pilot onboard they are functioned or controlled remotely by a person from a distance. These are used for spying in unknown or enemy territory and can do aerial photography and video recordings for future references. Active list of UAV are :- (i) IAI Eitan – procured from Israel (ii) IAI Searcher – procured from Israel (iii) IAI Heron – procured from Israel (iv) IAI Harop – procured from Israel (v) DRDO’s Lakshya – made in India
IAI Eitan 
IAI Heron 
DRDO’s Lakshya
AIRCRAFTS and Indian Airforce related NEWS
- 1. Nine or ten more Rafale jets are to arrive by April. Now we have 14 Rafale jets for the 17th squadron which is the ‘Golden Arrow’ at Ambala AFS. The new one’s are to be for another squadron who will be stationed at Hashmira base, West Bengal.
- 2. Bambi Bucket – It is a helicopter bucket to deliver water for aerial firefighting. This technique would be used by IAF to collect water from Tehri Lake for the forest fire in Uttarakhand.
- 3. Ka 226T – This is twin engine utility helicopter. 60 of them are being imported directly from Russia and 140 are to be manufactured locally that is in India by the Transfer of technique from Russia. They are supposed to replace the aging and obsolete Cheetah and Cheetak fleet of Airforce and Army.
- 4. Aero India 2021 – This was world’s 1st hybrid Aero-Defence Exhibition. There were 601 exhibitors of which 523 were Indian and 78 were from the participating 14 countries.
- 5. IAF has planned to setup radars in 3 districts of Uttarakhand – Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh.
- 6. HAL completed the order of 272 Su 30 MKI contracted from Russia, of which 40 were modified to carry BrahMos missile.
- 7. HANSA NG – CSIR’S Bengaluru Based research lab National Aerospace Lab rolled out this 2 seater trainer aircraft. 8. Kalyani Rafael Advanced System(KRAS) has rolled out first batch of MRSAM (Medium Range Surface to Air Missile) for the IAF from it’s facility near Hyderabad International Airport.
- 9. Following two images are of Armed Rafale jets fitted with MICA Air-to-Air missiles on their wingtips.
Sources :
1. wikipedia.com 2. britannica.com 3. IAF official website 4. the Hindu newspaper 5. Indian express newspaper 6. Times of India Newspaper 7. The Economic Times Website
– Nabanita B