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Author Topic: Indian Air Force is 77 - 08/10/09  (Read 3336 times)
Koen
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« on: 11 October 2009, 17:10:04 »
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As the Indian Air Force (IAF), the world's fourth largest, turns 77 on Thursday, it is grappling with a shortage of fighter squadrons, officers and men in other ranks.

http://indianairforce.nic.in/

The strength of IAF fighter squadrons at 33 is way below the sanctioned strength of 39.5. Even so it hopes to raise this to 42 by 2022. The low number of fighter squadrons has compelled the IAF to defer the phase-out of 1960 vintage Soviet-built MiG-21 combat jets to ensure its force levels do not diminish drastically.

Today, the IAF is also engaged in evaluating six fighters that are in contention for its order of 126 medium multi-role combat jets valued at $10 billion.

The process will conclude by the middle of next year after which the price negotions will take a year and a half before the final order is placed.

A sneak peek at how Indian Air Force emerged as fourth largest in the world:

The force was officially established on October 8, 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the Indian Empire. The prefix 'Royal' was added in 1945 in recognition of its services during World War II.

In January 1950, India became a Republic within the British Commonwealth and the Indian Air Force dropped its "Royal" prefix. At this time, it possessed six fighter squadrons of Spitfires, Vampires and Tempests, operating from Kanpur, Poona, Ambala and Palam, one B-24 bomber squadron, one C-47 Dakota transport squadron, one AOP flight, a communications squadron at Palam and a growing training organisation.
Both the establishment of a Maintenance Command and resurrection of the Auxiliary Air Force took place in 1955, two units of the latter being formed as Nos. 51 and 52 Squadrons at New Delhi and Bombay. A third AAF unit, No. 53 Sqn, was raised at Madras in the following year, and four more added over the next two years.

Expansion and modernisation Particularly significant in IAF was the year 1957, which witnessed true beginnings of the major re-equipment programme that was to raise the Service fully to world standards. Deliveries began of 110 Dassault Mystere IVAs, carrying the service into the realms of transonic flight for the first time, and both Hawker Hunters and English Electric Canberras began to enter the IAF inventory.
The IAF's energies were now taxed heavily with implementation of an expansion programme aimed at raising the Service from a 15-squadron force to no fewer than 33 squadrons over an extremely short span of years: a Herculean task when performed simultaneously with sweeping equipment changes.

The early sixties were accompanied by the IAF's induction of yet more new aircraft types, the most interesting of these arguably being the Folland Gnat lightweight fighter. With its startling agility, the Gnat proffered outstanding cost effectiveness and during the mid-fifties a licence agreement was concluded for its manufacture by HAL following delivery of 23 complete aircraft and 20 sets of components by the parent company.
An unusual commitment of the IAF was to support United Nations operations on the Congo (now Zaire) in 1961-62. Following an appeal by the U.N. for both troops and combat aircraft to restore law and order and keep peace, six Canberra B(1) 58s of No.5 Squadron were flown from Agra to Central Africa. Operating from Leopoldville and Kamina, the Canberras soon destroyed the rebel air force, raided Katangan targets and generally provided the U.N. ground forces with its only long-range air support force.

Further procurement source diversification had been signified late in 1960 when, as a result of the increasing frequency of clashes with Chinese forces on the Sino-lndian Himalayan border and the need that these revealed for yet further increase in airlift capability, together with a requirement for medium helicopters suitable for high-altitude operation, orders were placed in the Soviet Union for eight Antonov An- 12B and 24 IL-yushin 11- 14 transport aircraft plus 10 Mi-4 helicopters.

The real test of IAF airlift capability came in October 1962, when open warfare erupted on the Sino-lndian border. During the period 20 October to 20 November, pressure on the Service's transport and helicopter units were intense, troops and supplies having to be flown to the support of the border posts virtually around the clock and at extreme altitudes. The helicopters had to constantly run the gauntlet of Chinese small arms and anti-aircraft fire, while operating to.the tricky helipads in the mountains. Many notable feats were performed by the IAF during this conflict, including the operation of C-119Gs from airstrips 17,000 ft (5180m) above sea level in the Karakoram Himalayas, and the air-lifting by An-12Bs of two troops of AMX-13 light tanks to Chushul, in Ladakh, where the small airstrip was 15,000 ft (4570m) above sea level.

The IAF was expanding rapidly, its personnel strength of 28,000 officers and men at the time of the Sino-lndian conflict increasing by some two-thirds by the end of 1964, but the manpower requirements of the 33-squadron force had still to be implemented fully when the scheme was overtaken by even more ambitious expansion to a 45-squadron force which was sanctioned by the Government in October 1962, this calling for the raising of IAF personnel strength to some 100,000 by the early seventies.

Source: AP,IANS, India Syndicate
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Jilly
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« Reply #1 on: 11 October 2009, 23:56:18 »
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Fascinating stuff, Koen.  A good friend of my family used to be in the Indian air force,  he was a pilot,   later on he moved to the UK, where he still lives.
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TechAdmin
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« Reply #2 on: 12 October 2009, 00:02:36 »
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Jilly, contact him and have him tell something yobout his time there?

Just an idea,

TA
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"Smile, tomorrow will be worse!"  Murphy
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« Reply #3 on: 12 October 2009, 04:25:19 »
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He lives in the UK tech,  I'll see if I can contact him though..  he's a real interesting guy, him and my older brother were best friends and our families know each other from way back.
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Koen
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« Reply #4 on: 12 October 2009, 18:31:21 »
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He lives in the UK tech,  I'll see if I can contact him though..  he's a real interesting guy, him and my older brother were best friends and our families know each other from way back.


please do, it would be cool to have him here!
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Jilly
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« Reply #5 on: 12 October 2009, 20:39:17 »
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I think it would,  I'll see what I can do.  Smiley
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