08 October 2020 –
Indian Air Force is also known as “Bhartiya Vayu Sena” and is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. This day is celebrated for the inception of Air Force in India to aid the Army that was fighting on the land. Do you know it is attended by the Chiefs of all the three defence services namely Indian Air Force, Army and Navy.
The celebration of this day was officially started on 8th October in the year 1932 in order to increase the awareness of Indian air force in any organisation of the national security both officially and publicly. The day is celebrated in Air Force bases all across the nation with air shows and parades conducted by air force cadets, as the Indian Air Force (IAF) has its prime responsibility of securing the Indian airspace as well as to carry out the aerial warfare during any clash.
It is known that the Indian Air Force has been a fundamental and crucial part of the defence system of the nation along with the Indian Navy and Army. The IAF’s first flight was formed on 1st April 1933. The first time IAF came into brave action was during the Waziristan war against the tribal. Later IAF got expanded tremendously during the Second World War. IAF has proved to be a great defence force during the war especially in Burma. Its anonymous contribution and achievement made the IAF win the prefix of Royal in 1945 and hence came to be known as the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF).
As of 1 July 2017, the Indian Air Force has a sanctioned strength of 12,550 officers (12,404 serving with 146 under strength), and 142,529 airmen (127,172 serving with 15,357 under strength). Not only it has the responsibility to safeguard the Indian Territory from all risks, but also provide support during natural calamities to the affected areas. The IAF has been involved in numerous wars: World War II, Sino-Indian War, Operation Cactus, Operation Vijay, Kargil War, Indo-Pakistan War, Congo Crisis, Operation Poomalai, Operation Pawan, and few others.