To boost its dwindling fighter squadron strength, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is planning to acquire 33 new combat aircraft including 21 MiG-29s and 12 Sukhoi 30s. It has pushed a proposal in front of the government, after which the Defence Ministry has decided to hold a high-level meeting in the next few week, in this regard.
The Indian Air Force had signed a contract with Israel in June this year for acquiring more than 100 Spice 2000 bombs under the emergency procurement powers of the services given by the Narendra Modi government.
A team of IAF personnel demonstrated a sample humanitarian rescue operation at the headquarters of IAF South Western Air Command (SWAC) in Gandhinagar.
Sample humanitarian rescue mission carried out by the IAF at the South Western Command headquarters in Gandhinagar
Lack of regulations along with tight budgets and wide range of choices have both commoners and the government in a fix over replacement of vintage equipment ranging from more than 50-year-old MiG-21 fighter planes to humble passenger cars.
Air Force veterans are of the opinion that there should be more lines of production apart from incentivisation of the private sector in order to bridge the shortfall that the country is facing in numbers of its fighter fleet.
If depleting numbers in the fighter fleet of Indian Air Force (IAF) are a cause of concern, lack of procurement and delay in indigenous production are not the only reasons. India regularly loses aircraft in accidents and over the past five years, nearly one squadron has been lost to crashes.
"We have seen their (Pakistan's) deployment. The Indian Air Force is always cautious. We are responsible for air defence and we are always alert," Dhanoa said when asked about the situation at the Indo-Pak border.
Western and Southern parts of the country are battling floods in the wake of heavy rains. Lakhs of people in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are in need of help. The Indian armed forces and other agencies have stepped-in to provide help and rescue citizens stuck amid the floodwaters. Indian Army, Navy and Air Force are stepping in with their men and machines to help authorities, police and agencies like National Disaster Respose Force (NDRF).
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday deployed helicopter in the rescue operation and airlifted around 58 stranded people, including 16 children from the Ju-Nandkhuri village near Khandvali in Thane district, on the request of CM Devendra Fadnavis of additional assistance from NDRF, Air Force.
The IAF launched an app on Wednesday that allows you to play a combat game on 10 different missions, including the surgical strike, using your mobile phone.
Boeing said the first batch of the Apaches arrived in India and an additional four choppers will be delivered to the IAF next week. "The eight choppers will then move to the Pathankot Air Force station for their formal induction by the IAF, in September," it said. The AH-64E Apache is one of the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopters and is flown by the US Army.
Hailing from Billan Bowlian in Udhampur district, Thakur joined the IAF as a flying officer this year, one of the first few women in the country to have done so. Her motivational lectures, organised by the Rashtriya Rifles unit based at Bhadarwah, are inspiring youngsters, especially girls, in the state to make a mark in life.
The Rafale aircraft will provide the Indian Air Force strategic deterrence and requisite capability to engage targets at long ranges, the Defence Ministry said, adding the training of the first batch of officers and technicians is underway with the French Air Force.
A former airman of the Indian Air Force has donated Rs 1.08 crore to the Defence Ministry here.
Garima Abrol, wife of Squadron Leader Samir Abrol who was killed earlier this year in Bengaluru while test flying a Mirage 2000 fighter jet, is all set to join the IAF. She has cleared the Services Selection Board (SSB).
Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, reviewed the security set up of the Air Force station here and praised the operational preparedness, high-security setup and the high morale of its personnel.
American aerospace major Boeing on Monday announced the arrival of two new heavy-lift Chinook helicopters for the Indian Air Force at the Mundra port in Gujarat. The Indian Air Force has ordered 15 Chinooks and the first four helicopters arrived in February.
India has signed a 200 crore deal with Russia for the procurement of anti-tank missiles for Mi-35 attack helicopters. This deal has been signed under the emergency provisions given to the defence forces post Pulwama attack.
The air forces of India and France will take part in a joint exercise at Mont de Marsan in France from July 1 to 12, which will see the participation of fighter jets like Rafale, Mirage 2000, Sukhoi 30 from the two sides.
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