Indian Air Force
Aerial service branch of the Indian Armed Forces
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May 2025 | An unidentified man from Bihar was apprehended by the IAF after entering the base premises and was handed over to the state police. |
2025 | During the India-Pakistan standoff, Pakistan Armed Forces announced targeting Halwara Air Force Station with loitering munitions and Fatah GMLRS as part of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos. |
2025 | During the India-Pakistan standoff, Pakistan Armed Forces targeted Sirsa airfield with loitering munitions and Fatah GMLRS as part of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos. |
May 10 2025 | Udhampur Air Force Station was targeted by Fatah GMLRS during Operation Bunyanun Marsoos by Pakistan Armed Forces. |
May 7 2025 | During Operation Sindoor, SAMAR played a critical role in defending Indian airspace against Pakistani drone and missile attacks targeting cities like Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar. The system successfully intercepted low-altitude threats, preventing damage to military and civilian infrastructure. |
May 1 2025 | Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari succeeds Air Marshal Sujeet Pushpakar Dharkar as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force. |
April 29 2025 | Indian Air Force continues to modernize its fleet, with multiple aircraft on order across various categories including 73 Tejas Mk 1A, 8 MQ-9 Reaper drones, 50 Airbus C-295 tactical airlifters, and 50+ Kadet Loitering Aerial Munition systems. |
April 12 2025 | Preparatory activities for Bihta Airport terminal construction began, including soil testing, ahead of the scheduled June 2025 construction commencement. |
April 9 2025 | A report claimed MRFA would be a government-to-government deal for 114 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force, with negotiations to begin soon. The same day, the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared procurement of 26 Rafale-M jets for the Navy. |
2025 | 1 Antonov An-32 aircraft was lost. |
2025 | 1 Dassault Mirage 2000 aircraft was lost. |
March 28 2025 | The Indian Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Metrea Management to acquire one Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker on wet lease for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, to be used for in-flight refuelling pilot training within six months. |
2025 | DRDO and HAL are actively developing multiple advanced aircraft for the Indian Air Force, including the Tejas Mk 2, AMCA (5th generation aircraft), and several unmanned combat systems. |
March 2025 | The Empowered Committee for Capability Enhancement of IAF recommended the MRFA acquisition programme. |
March 7 2025 | State government allocated the remaining eight acres of land, completing the total 116 acres required for the Bihta Airport project. |
March 3 2025 | The Empowered Committee for Capability Enhancement of IAF submitted its report to the Ministry of Defence, recommending private sector involvement in defense and aerospace sectors. |
February 15 2025 | Airports Authority of India (AAI) awarded a ₹459.99 crore contract to a joint Russian-Indian venture for airport terminal construction. |
February 14 2025 | Multiple reports suggested the Indian Air Force will seek bids for the MRFA tender, with companies preparing blueprints, scouting local production partners, and re-evaluating cost-effectiveness. |
February 2025 | A high-level committee was constituted to streamline the production of indigenous light combat aircraft and enhance the role of the private sector in fighter jet manufacturing. |
February 2025 | President Donald Trump reportedly pitched the F-35 Lightning II to India during Prime Minister Modi's state visit to Washington. |
2024 | The Comptroller and Auditor General published a report during the Parliament Winter Session highlighting significant pilot training deficiencies in the Indian Air Force. |
2024 | 8 MQ-9 Reaper surveillance and combat UAVs are on order to modernize the Indian Air Force's unmanned aerial vehicle fleet. |
2024 | The Comptroller and Auditor General published a report highlighting significant deficiencies in pilot training, noting a pilot deficit of 596 by 2021. |
2024 | Parliamentary session revealed significant pilot training deficiencies, with the IAF having a deficit of 596 combat pilots by 2021 and challenges in trainer aircraft procurement. |
2024 | First prototype of the Tejas Mk 2 is expected to be rolled out by the end of the year. |
2024 | Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari stated that the IAF has revised its existing doctrine and recognized space as a critical domain for future operations. |
2024 | Over 50 Kadet Loitering Aerial Munitions are on order, developed by DRDO and KDS. |
2024 | Plans to replace 56 Hawker Siddeley HS 748 tactical airlifters with 50 Airbus C-295 aircraft are underway. |
2024 | Sukhoi Su-30MKI fleet expansion continues with 12 more aircraft on order. |
2024 | Indian Air Force plans to acquire 73 HAL Tejas Mk.1A multirole fighters, with an additional 97 fighters approved for procurement. |
2024 | Plans to acquire 50 more HAL Rudra attack helicopters are in progress. |
2024 | HAL plans to complete development of a full family of unmanned aircraft by the end of 2024–25, in collaboration with DRDO for the Indian Air Force's unmanned combat system. |
2024 | Central Cabinet Committee (CCS) cleared an order for 240 Sudarshan CIWS guns for the Indian Air Force. |
December 23 2024 | The Ministry of Defence formed a high-level committee chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh to propose a new Road Map addressing the Indian Air Force's critical capability gaps. |
December 17 2024 | A parliamentary panel report revealed that the Indian Air Force has only 31 squadrons against a minimal requirement of 42 squadrons, highlighting significant fleet strength shortages. |
October 2024 | Saab offered to deliver the first Gripen aircraft within 3 years of contract award and proposed full technology transfer. |
October 29 2024 | Asian News International reported the Indian Government's plans to release an open multi-vendor tender for 114 4.5 generation jet fighters to be manufactured in India. |
October 15 2024 | Final deal signed for 8 General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned aerial vehicles from the United States for surveillance and combat purposes. |
October 3 2024 | Air Marshal Sujeet Pushpakar Dharkar succeeded Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force. |
September 2024 | No. 18 Squadron was moved to Naliya Air Force Station. |
September 10 2024 | Lockheed Martin announced a partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for C-130J production. |
September 1 2024 | Air Marshal Tejinder Singh assumed the role of Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS), succeeding Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit in this senior appointment at Air Force Headquarters in New Delhi. |
August 2024 | Reports confirmed that the SAMAR-2 variant (with 30 km range) is ready to be tested from December 2024, which was announced during Exercise Tarang Shakti where the SAMAR-1 system was showcased. |
August 31 2024 | Deadline for signing an unspecified agreement or contract related to the Indian Air Force. |
August 6 2024 | Hosted the first phase of Exercise Tarang Shakti, the largest multinational air force exercise in India, involving air forces from France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The exercise ran from 6 August to 14 August. |
July 2024 | Space startup Pixxel announced plans to supply miniaturised multi-payload satellites to the IAF by 2025 for monitoring goals. |
March 2024 | Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan announced an allocation of Rs 25,000 crore for defence space requirements, including building a constellation of surveillance satellites. |
March 15 2024 | The United States sent a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) to the Indian Ministry of Defence for a deal to supply 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, with the allocation being 15 for the Navy, 8 for the Army, and 8 for the Air Force. The document is awaiting final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). |
March 1 2024 | Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro to replace the Indian Air Force's long-range radars with advanced High-Performance Radars (HPRs). These new phased array-based radars will enhance surveillance capabilities and improve terrestrial air defence by detecting small radar cross section targets. |
February 22 2024 | Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the procurement of High Power Radars (HPRs) for the Indian Air Force, which will replace the existing THD-1955 3-D radars with new radars having a maximum range of 600 km |
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Bihta Air Force Station, Future of the Indian Air Force, Halwara Air Force Station, Indian MRCA competition, List of active Indian military aircraft, Indian Air Force, Sulur Air Force Station, Sirsa Air Force Station, Udhampur Air Force Station, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (India), Air Force Network, SAMAR Air Defence System & Vice Chief of the Air Staff (India), which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.