The Indian Air Force is set to retire its fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets at a decommissioning event in Chandigarh. The event will mark the end of an era for the aircraft that has been a key part of the IAF's combat fleet for over six decades.
Air Marshal N A K Browne, an ace MiG-21 and Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter pilot, will be the next chief of Indian Air Force.
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Wednesday expressed his unwillingness to use the air force in ongoing anti-Naxal operations, saying the situation has not worsened so much merit military action.
Creating a powerful new chief of defence forces has split the Pakistan military into four competing factions, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne has taken over as the 23rd Chief of the Air Staff from Air Chief Marshal PV Naik, who retires after 42 years of illustrious service.
India recognised acts of gallantry by armed forces personnel and senior military officers involved in Operation Sindoor, along with other distinguished service awards, on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.
Supporting the demand for creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) for the Armed forces, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Tuesday said the appointment, however, could be done only after the country decides on the best-suited CDS model for it.
If the government of the day would like to set in place a smooth and well-planned changeover and facilitate the incoming chief to chalk out his action plan well in advance, the announcement of a successor needs to be done early, observes Colonel K Thammayya Udupa (retd).
The Indian Air Force is facing shortage of about 400 pilots in various categories and plans to fill the vacancies within the next two years, Chief of Air Staff P V Naik said on Tuesday.
Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah, 37, was killed on Tuesday in a clash with the Taliban militants in the Sararogha area of South Waziristan near the Afghan border, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army.
Indian Air Force chief P V Naik on Friday described the current security scenario in India's neighbourhood as a "volcano" that may erupt anytime and asked the air warriors to be prepared to meet both internal and external challenges. "The current security scenario is like a volcano and may test your skills anytime without warning. These times require swift action," Naik said while addressing the Air Force Day parade in Hindon, Ghaziabad
Ruling out the possibility of an immediate threat from China, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik said that the 1962 Chinese aggression against India will not be repeated. "No immediate aggression is in sight. It will not be repeated. We have the required air defence capabilities to counter any eventuality and have certainly improved it over a period of time," Naik told reporters on the sidelines of Commanders' Conference of Maintenance Command at Vayusena Nagar in Nagpur.
The question is: Is it appropriate for the service chiefs to publicly comment on such critical policy decisions? Should they maintain the tradition of remaining silent? Or should they speak out?
Indian Air Force Chief P V Naik on Wednesday downplayed the Chinese threat, saying there have not been any air incursions along the Line of Actual Control. Air Chief Marshal Naik said, "Our strategy is to play it cool. We are not downplaying anything. As far as the Air Force is concerned, there has been no reason to downplay anything. There have not been any incursions reported at the LAC." He also hinted that the Indian Air Force is upscaling its strength.
Noting that infiltration attempts by terrorists from Pakistan will continue, Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said on Tuesday that the solution to the problem lies with the neighbour as it was helping them to sneak into Indian territory.
The chief of Air Staff on Friday stressed the need for protecting India's space assets in the wake of China developing anti-Satellite (ASAT) weapons and pushed for building the country's military space capabilities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited the Palam airbase in New Delhi and paid his last respects to Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and other 11 armed force personnel who lost their lives in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
To ensure the morale of the pilots does not suffer, flying activity continues without a pause. Pilots take to the sky like they would on any other day.
Describing the current security scene in India's neighbourhood as "a volcano", Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Friday said it could "erupt" anytime and asked the air warriors to be "prepared and vigilant" to meet any eventuality.
The Indian Air Force is upgrading six airstrips in Arunachal Pradesh bordering China to improve its capabilities to move troops there quickly, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik said on Thursday.
In a feat that came a decade after the multi-role LCA took to the skies, Defence Minister A K Antony handed over the IOC certificate to Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik at the HAL Airport in Bengaluru.
In an interview to Nitin Gokhale, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshall P V Naik discusses his strategy for the transformation of the IAF.
A strong military cannot be maintained with discipline alone. Today, a strong military means state of the art equipment, steady supply of munitions and morale and most importantly reconnaissance, research and 2nd/3rd strike capabilities, writes Pramod Kumar Buravalli.
The country was on Thursday put on high alert with additional forces being deployed at public places, especially in Maharashtra and Delhi, on the eve of the second anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, said India on Friday that had "no problems" so long as Pakistan used US-supplied 12 unarmed Shadow drones against Taliban, but remained non-committal on the possibility of Islamabad sharing its technology with China.
India is keen to conduct joint exercises with China, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik said on Tuesday, amid growing tensions between the two neighbours over the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh."We are keen to do joint exercise with China and also with other nations. We have already done so with the United States, United Kingdom, France and few other nations," Naik told reporters at Gwalior when asked whether India is ready to conduct a joint exercise.
India's top cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who is not new to awards and honours, will be conferred with IAF's honorary rank of Group Captain. Once Tendulkar receives the honour, he would be the first sports person to be conferred a rank by IAF and the first personality with no aviation background to have got this honour.
Singh said in a statement in the Lok Sabha that all efforts were being made to save IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, who was on life support at the military hospital in Wellington.
Committing itself to a greater role in the government's fight against Maoists, the Indian Air Force on Thursday said it had sought permission from the defence ministry to open fire at the Left extremists if its helicopters or aircrew came under attack.
Talking to media persons in Hindon on the sidelines of the 77th anniversary celebrations of the force, he said the Garud special forces would be present in the helicopters flying in Maoist-hit areas for rescue operations and would defend their personnel and equipment by warding-off attacks by Naxals on them.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday asked the three services to remain alert and step up vigilance around the first anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
In the short to medium term India's scarce resources would be better served by focusing on reducing the disparity with China in space. Developing ASAT capability is something that can wait, write Bharath Gopalaswamy and Harsh V Pant.
As defence minister, Singh's most crucial challenge will be to speed up the long-delayed modernisation of the three services besides ensuring overall coherence in their combat readiness.
"I congratulate all Indian citizens on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas. The sacrifices made by soldiers, which helped us win the Kargil war, will always be a source of inspiration for the armed forces," Rajnath Singh told reporters after paying the tributes.
Out of the 13 people killed in the IAF helicopter crash near Coonoor on Wednesday, the mortal remains of only Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and Brig LS Lidder could be identified, officials said on Thursday.
Nitin Gokhale, national security expert and founder BharatShakti.in, tells us what the controversy is all about.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others were killed when an Indian Air Force helicopter carrying them crashed on Wednesday near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu in apparently foggy conditions, killing 13 people on board, the IAF and other officials said.
The armed forces personnel whose bodies were identified in the last few hours are Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) Pradeep, Wing Commander P S Chauhan, JWO Rana Pratap Das, Lance Naik B Sai Teja and Lance Naik Vivek Kumar.
This will also be his first August 15 address after coming back to power with a huge mandate.
Snubbed by his party leader Rahul Gandhi and panned by the Bharatiya Janata Party for questioning surgical strikes, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh swung into damage control mode on Tuesday and said his questions were to the government and not the armed forces.
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