Service of State
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces, charged with securing Indian airspace and conducting aerial warfare. It is one of the three services under the Ministry of Defence, commanded by the Chief of the Air Staff and answerable through the government to the President of India as Supreme Commander. Its combat readiness — measured in fighter squadrons and the programmes meant to fill them — is a central lever of Indian deterrence.
Updated
- Established
- 8 October 1932 (as Royal Indian Air Force); Indian Air Force from 1950
- Headquarters
- Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhavan), New Delhi
- Commands
- Seven — five operational (Western, South Western, Central, Eastern, Southern) and two functional (Training, Maintenance)
- Fighter squadrons
- Sanctioned strength 42; roughly 29–31 fielded as of 2025–26
Role
The Indian Air Force is the air component of the Indian Armed Forces and one of the three services administered through the Ministry of Defence. Its stated primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflict; its secondary roles span strategic and tactical airlift, close air support to the Indian Army, maritime and reconnaissance support, combat search-and-rescue, and humanitarian assistance in aid to civil authorities. The service is organised into seven commands — five operational (Western, South Western, Central, Eastern and Southern) and two functional (Training and Maintenance) — and operates from Air Headquarters, Vayu Bhavan, in New Delhi.
As a seat of power, the IAF matters less through any individual than through what it can put in the air. Constitutionally, the President of India is Supreme Commander of the armed forces; day-to-day the service is led by the Chief of the Air Staff, an Air Chief Marshal, who sits alongside the other service chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff under the civilian Defence Minister. The institution’s weight in Indian strategy is read chiefly through its combat aircraft holdings — measured against a long-sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons — and through the procurement and indigenous-development programmes, from the Rafale to the AMCA and the Tejas line, meant to close the gap between authorised and actual strength.
Desk maintained by IndiaStand editorial cycles. Officeholders are transient; this dossier tracks the institution.
Timeline since 1947
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Founded as the Royal Indian Air Force
The service was raised on 8 October 1932 under British India, taking to the air with a handful of aircraft the following year.
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Redesignated the Indian Air Force
The prefix 'Royal' was dropped when India became a republic in 1950, and the service adopted its present name and ensign.
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Decisive role in the 1971 war
The IAF secured air superiority over the eastern theatre during the war that led to the creation of Bangladesh, its largest air campaign to date.
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First Rafale squadron inducted
No. 17 Squadron 'Golden Arrows' at Ambala received the first of 36 Dassault Rafale jets contracted from France in 2016, the IAF's first new fighter type in over two decades.
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Cabinet clears AMCA prototype development
The Cabinet Committee on Security approved development of the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a fifth-generation stealth fighter led by the Aeronautical Development Agency, in a project reported at about Rs 15,000 crore.
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Operation Sindoor
IAF fighters, including Rafales, conducted cross-border precision strikes against targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir over 7–10 May 2025.
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AMCA execution model approved
The Defence Minister approved on 27 May 2025 an execution model routing AMCA development through the ADA in industry partnership, with private and public firms bidding competitively as independents, joint ventures or consortia.
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Letter of Request issued for 114 MRFA fighters
India's Ministry of Defence issued a Letter of Request to France to open government-to-government negotiations for 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (Rafale), following Acceptance of Necessity granted by the Defence Acquisition Council in February 2026; reporting described it as the largest single fighter requirement in the IAF's history, with most aircraft to be made in India.
Frequently asked
- What is Indian Air Force?
- The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces, charged with securing Indian airspace and conducting aerial warfare. It is one of the three services under the Ministry of Defence, commanded by the Chief of the Air Staff and answerable through the government to the President of India as Supreme Commander. Its combat readiness — measured in fighter squadrons and the programmes meant to fill them — is a central lever of Indian deterrence.
- When was Indian Air Force established?
- Indian Air Force was established 1932.
- What does Indian Air Force do?
- Its remit covers Securing Indian airspace and conducting aerial warfare in armed conflict, Air defence, offensive strike, and strategic and tactical airlift, Close air support to the Indian Army and maritime support to the Indian Navy, Reconnaissance, surveillance, and combat search-and-rescue, Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in aid to civil authorities.
- What is the latest on Indian Air Force?
- As of 2026-07-05: Letter of Request issued for 114 MRFA fighters. India's Ministry of Defence issued a Letter of Request to France to open government-to-government negotiations for 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (Rafale), following Acceptance of Necessity granted by the Defence Acquisition Council in February 2026; reporting described it as the largest single fighter requirement in the IAF's history, with most aircraft to be made in India.