The skies have changed, so has IAF’s mission: 94 years of India’s air power

Raised on 8 October 1932, the Indian Air Force began with four Westland Wapiti biplanes and five Indian pilots at Drigh Road, Karachi. Today it is the world’s fourth-largest air force, operating fighters such as the Su-30MKI, Rafale and Tejas, though it fields around 29 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned 42. Its combat record spans the Second World War, the wars of 1947-48, 1965 and 1971, Kargil, Balakot and Operation Sindoor. The force is now evolving into a networked aerospace power, built around the Integrated Air Command and Control System, growing unmanned capabilities and long-range airlift. That reach extends to multinational exercises such as Tarang Shakti and humanitarian missions as far afield as Venezuela, underlining its expanding strategic role.