At the dawn of Independence, the 15-year-old #RIAF (the prefix ‘Royal’ was removed when India became a Republic) found itself at its first major crossroads. This thread attempts to unravel the condition of the young Air Force, as it was on 15 Aug 47.
 
#IAFHistory

At the helm of the RIAF was Air Mshl Sir Thomas Elmhirst. An ex-Royal Navy officer, transferred to the RAF, Elmhirst had laid two conditions before accepting his post. He wanted the RIAF to be an independent service & a few RAF officers to help steer the RIAF for a year or so.

The IAF’s No 1 Sqn was raised 90 years ago, on 01 Apr 33. No 2 Sqn followed eight years later, on 01 Apr 41. This thread attempts to unravel the events that led to the raising of the subsequent IAF sqns. #IAFHistory With War clouds looming on the horizon, the Chatfield Committee recommended that non-regular IAF Coastal Defence Flights (CDFs) be raised for the coastal defence of India. These flights were to be raised at Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, Karachi & Cochin, sequentially numbered 1 to 5.

39 years ago today, the @adgpi & the IAF launched Op Meghdoot- what has come to be the highest battlefield in the world. Operations continue there till date - well beyond the limits of man & machine. The following account is as had been recalled by AVM A Dalaya, then AOC (J&K). Preparations for the op started six weeks before D-Day on 13 Apr 84. The plan entailed landing 30 troops at Bilafond La Pass on the first day & another 30 to Siala Pass the next day. Seven camps were then to be set up along the 80 km Siachen Glacier at the rate of one per day.

Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was on a visit to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Nilgiri Hills) to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course today. Around noon today, an IAF Mi 17 V5 helicopter with a crew of 4 members carrying the CDS and 9 other passengers met with a tragic accident near Coonoor, TN.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal #RKSBhadauria addressed the 5th Foreign Defence Attaches' conclave organised by BharatShakti.in on 'Enhancing Defence Capabilities through Cooperation' today.
#DAConclave2020 @BharatShaktiBSI #CAS complimented team BharatShakti.in on their crucial role in promoting indigenisation and self reliance in defence sector and unique settings of the conclave which brought together key players.
@BharatShaktiBSI

#IAF's Commanders' Conference concluded today. Op preparedness & strategies for the prevailing security scenario across the entire spectrum were discussed. IAF's roadmap for the next decade was deliberated upon & the CAS articulated 'Vision 2030' for the IAF. 1/5

#IndianAirForce CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, CNS Adm Karambir Singh, & COAS Gen MM Naravane addressed the conference & interacted with Commanders on matters of jointness and integrated war fighting. The CAS stated that it is important to recognise emerging threats in a rapidly changing world. 2/5

A special flight of IAF comprising of the crew, medical team & support staff departed from Air Force Station, Palam on 26 Feb 20. As a goodwill gesture from Government of India, IAF airlifted approximately 15 tonnes of medical supplies in C-17 Globemaster III to Wuhan, China. On its return, the same aircraft will retrieve approx 120 personnel+05 children in arms from Wuhan. The returning passengers will mainly comprise of Indian citizens & citizens from friendly foreign countries. It is likely to return on 27 Feb 20 to Air Force Station, Palam.

#Remembering1971: On 03 Dec 1971 at 1747 hours, PAF launched simultaneous attacks on a number of forward IAF bases at Srinagar, Amritsar & Pathankot.
Four of the attacking PAF aircraft were hit by Indian Air Defence, one each over Pathankot, Halwara, Amritsar & a B-57 near Agra. On 3 Dec 1971 at 11:50 PM, IAF goes into action with retaliatory attacks on Pakistani Airfields.
IAF attacks Chanderi, Shorkot, Murid, Mianwali, Masroor, Risalwala, Changa Manga and Sargodha, hitting a no. of PAF aircraft on ground & sets petrol tanks on fire.
#Remembering1971

#DiaryofEvents: On 27 Feb 19 at around 1000 hrs IAF radars detected a large package of PAF aircraft heading towards the Indian territory towards general area Jhangar. They breached the Indian airspace west of Rajauri in Sunderbani Area. (1/5)
Details on fb.com/IndianAirForce Ingressing aircraft were observed to be at various levels. IAF fighters including MiG-21Bison, Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000 were tasked to intercept the intruder. PAF aircraft attempting to target military installations, were intercepted by IAF fighters & thwarted their plans. (2/5)