How the IAF has strengthened India’s strategic edge

AS the IAF completes another year of service to the nation, it is time to reflect on its achievements over the past year and the challenges that lie ahead as it moves forward in its centennial decade.

With just six aircraft and a handful of ‘Hawai Sepoys’ or ‘airmen’, the Indian Air Force took birth on October 8, 1932, just about two decades after the first manned airplane flight. The ninety-first anniversary of the IAF was celebrated at Prayagraj on October 8 last year, with an air power display and an impressive parade that mesmerised the audience in Allahabad, which is also home to the Central Command of the IAF.

In keeping with its recent tradition of dedicating a theme for itself every year to focus on its operational preparedness and training, the IAF had decided on ‘Air Power Beyond Boundaries’ for itself for the year 2023-24.

On the Air Force Day last year, flashfloods in the Teesta river caused mayhem and destruction across Sikkim and West Bengal, disrupting communications, destroying roads and other infrastructure and leading to loss of precious lives across the two states. The IAF promptly swung into action, deploying its Chinook and

Mi 17-1V helicopters, carrying out rescue and relief operations, dropping medicines, essential supplies and communication equipment and using its Garud commandos to facilitate the evacuation of more than 1,700 people, including tourists and foreign nationals.

From November 12 to 28 last year, in response to the Silkyara tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand, the IAF deployed its heavy lift C-17 Globemaster and C-130J Hercules aircraft to transport equipment and personnel, apart from Mi 17 and Chinook helicopters to evacuate rescued personnel to the nearest medical facility.

Serving as the first responder when an earthquake struck Nepal in the first week of November 2023, the IAF launched a C-130J Hercules aircraft with essential supplies, providing medicines, relief material and trained personnel to assist in disaster relief. India also provided more than 70 tonnes of humanitarian aid and relief material to the people affected by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict by sending two C-17 aircraft on October 22 and November 19, 2023; these landed at the El-Arish airbase in Egypt, close to the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza strip.

Last year, the IAF participated in various bilateral and multilateral exercises — from Red Flag in the USA to Eastern Bridge with Oman, Pitch Black with Australia, Udara Shakti with Malaysia, Garuda with France and Desert Knight with UAE. All these exercises had other air forces participating, along with the forces from the host countries.

The eagerness for the air forces of the countries across the world to participate in exercises with the IAF bears testimony to its professional acumen and the growing heft of India as a nation in the emerging world order.

The IAF also carried out Exercise Vayushakti on February 17, 2024, at the Pokhran range wherein it demonstrated its offensive capability by carrying out live firing that was witnessed by a diverse audience comprising the diplomatic corps of friendly foreign countries. The exercise witnessed the participation of the indigenous Tejas Mk1 aircraft and Dhruv and Prachand helicopters, apart from Jaguars, Rafale, Mig 29, Su 30 MKI, Mirage 2000, Hawk, C-130J, Apache and Chinook, which carried out day and night operations. Our indigenous surface-to-air weapon systems — Akaash and Samar — demonstrated their ability to track and shoot down intruding aircraft. It demonstrated the ability of the IAF to deliver weapons with precision on designated targets simultaneously from a number of bases.

Under Exercise Gagan Shakti 2024, which commenced on April 1 this year, the entire air force was mobilised for operational contingencies in two phases, simulating the emergence of threats that might emerge from a two-front situation. With extensive flying day and night, with large force engagement exercises, the IAF tested all the key features of airpower: speed, precision, flexibility, reach and responsiveness, along with sustaining a high tempo of operations 24x7 for 10 days.

The IAF successfully carried out the largest multilateral exercise ‘Tarang Shakti 2024’ that witnessed the participation of 11 countries with their flying assets and 27 countries as observers from nations representing all the continents. The exercise was carried out in two phases at Sulur and Jodhpur air bases and more than 1,000 sorties were flown, with the chiefs of many air forces also participating in the exercise.

This exercise tested the mettle of the IAF in planning and executing an international exercise. It also demonstrated its indigenous defence capabilities on the sidelines with an international defence exposition at both the venues.

The IAF is celebrating its ninety-second anniversary this year. It commenced with a scintillating airshow at the Marina Beach in Chennai on October 6, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin as the chief guest. A rare treat for Chennaites, the Marina Beach, one of the longest beaches in the world, was an ideal venue for air display and provided an unobstructed view for the enthusiastic crowd. It is set to enter the Limca Book of Records for being the largest gathering at an air display.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh PVSM, AVSM, the new Chief, would review the ceremonial parade and address all air warriors at Tambaram Air Force Station, also in Chennai, on October 8. The IAF theme for the forthcoming year is ‘Bhartiya Vayusena: Sashakt, Saksham aur Atmanirbhar’ (‘Strong, Capable and Self-Reliant’), emphasising the focus on self-reliance and modernisation.

The challenge for the IAF involves increasing its combat potential with faster induction of Tejas Mk1A, aerial refuellers, airborne early warning and control aircraft, indigenous weapons and radar systems and operationalisation of secure communications with software defined radios (SDR) and operational data link (ODL).

The IAF is in top gear, and will continue to serve the nation in keeping with its motto of ‘Nabha Sprisham Diptam’ (‘Touching the sky with glory’). The Indian industry, however, needs to change gears to match the pace and keep up. Innovative technology and ‘chutzpah’ are the new market disrupters. ‘Atmanirbhar’ is almost within reach.