Indian Airforce is one of the most professional and strongest forces in the World. As per the defence portal Globalfirepower.com, the Indian Airforce stands at Rank 4 as far as its strength is concerned. Indian Airforce was established in 1932 and today Indian Air Force is observing its 88th anniversary with a ceremonial parade and a flypast involving a variety of aircraft at the Hindon airbase.
Indian Airforce will use a total of 56 aircraft, including 19 choppers and seven transport aircraft, will fly during the parade. The Tejas LCA, Jaguar, MiG-29, MiG-21 and Sukhoi-30 aircraft were part of the dress rehearsal on Wednesday, besides the newly inducted Rafale fighter jet.
Indian Airforce has also shared their anthem on Twitter and also shared ‘Know the IAF’ posts explaining its aircraft, including the Rudra, MiG-21 and Chinook.
Why do we celebrate Indian Airforce Day on 8th October?
Indian Airforce was founded on 8th October 1932, by the enactment of the Indian Air Force Act 1932, which set forth its auxiliary status and enforced the adoption of the Royal Air Force uniforms, badges, brevets, and insignia. On 1 April 1933, the IAF commissioned its first squadron, No.1 Squadron, which included four Westland Wapiti biplanes and five Indian pilots. The Indian pilots were led by British RAF Commanding officer Flight Lieutenant Cecil Bouchier.
Since then, the IAF has been a part of several important wars as countless important missions. Initially, it was a part of the British empire, but it became part of India once we gained Independence in 1947. The Indian Air Force carried out multiple missions to help the British Army during World War II. It was known as the Royal Indian Air Force, which was later changed in 1950 with the prefix ‘royal’ removed from it.
As per the Constitution of India, the President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Air Force. Per hierarchy, the next position holds by the Chief of Air Staff, an air chief marshal, who is a four-star officer. The Air Chief Marshal is responsible for taking making major operational decisions for the Air Force. At a given time, there is only one working ACM in the Indian Air Force.
On October 8, 2020, the celebrations will be marked at the Hindon Base in Ghaziabad. The ceremony was scheduled to start at 8 am and will conclude at around 11 am.
