Avani Chaturvedi, Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth will shortly enter the history books by being the first three women cadets to be cleared to fly fighter aircraft in India.
Air Chief Marshal Browne said he was proud to accept "into our inventory one of the most modern and versatile airlift platforms."
The outcome of the 1962 war with China would have been different had the Air Force been used in an offensive role, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne said in New Delhi on Friday on the conflict in which India suffered a humiliating defeat.
Major's remarks assume significance as they came in the wake of growing demands for allowing women to fly fighters as is being done in the US Air Force.
The Indian Army and more recently the Indian Navy have already set up dedicated intelligence branches. It is surprising indeed that the IAF, where real time and timely intelligence is most vital for effective and safe prosecution of the air war, has still not done so itself, says Group Capt (retd) P I Muralidharan.
Five army personnel were killed and six injured on Monday when terrorists ambushed their vehicle in the remote Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said.
An Indian Air Force advanced landing ground at Vijaynagar, country's easternmost tip in Arunachal Pradesh, was re-opened on Friday by Governor General (Retd) J J Singh in presence of Air Marshal S Varthaman, air officer commanding-in-chief, eastern air command, Lieutenant General Rameshwar Roy, director general Assam Rifles, Air Vice Marshal KS Gill among other senior officials from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam Rifles and the IAF.
At least 12 benchmarks were changed between March and October 2009, including some relating to pilot safety, to reportedly allow PC-7 Mark II, fielded by Swiss company Pilatus, to qualify and win an IAF order worth Rs 3,780 crore for 75 basic trainer aircraft.
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.
A US-made C-130J military transport plane, one of the most modern aircraft acquired recently by the Indian Air Force, crashed on Friday near Gwalior, killing all the five crew members, including four officers.
India plans to sign the $11 billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft deal with French Rafale by the end of August and September, a senior Indian Air Force official said on Saturday. "I find no reason why it shouldn't be signed by the end of this month or next month", said Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, IAF, Air Marshal Rajinder Singh.
"A number of older generation aircraft like MiG-21 are operating since early sixties. We have problems with the ageing fleets and their maintenance," Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Indian Air Force's (IAF) Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal Kishan Kumar Nohwar told a press conference in Shillong.
They share their excitement :)
The Kalaikunda airbase on Wednesday witnessed three MiG-27 aircraft perform the Trishul Break Manoeuvre as a salute to the MiG-21 type 77 aircraft that was towed out and into the Hangar for the last time. The Kalaikunda based Operational Conversion Unit bid a final farewell to its oldest workhorse.
Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Nabin Payeng said the debris of the chopper was sighted from a hill top at Chopo Yoha in the district by a police team at the confluence of a water fall and the Nyorch river.
'If we had sent a few airplanes (into Tibet), we could have wiped the Chinese out.' 'And everything could have been different in the 1962 War.' 'They did not believe me there was no Chinese air force.' 'Can you imagine what would have happened if we had used the IAF at that time?' 'The Chinese would have never dared do anything down the line.'
Among the fatalities recorded on Friday, the maximum 17 were from Uttar Pradesh, 14 from Bihar, five from Odisha and four from Jharkhand, where officials said more than 1,300 people are hospitalised with heatstroke conditions.
Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan was the pilot of the crashed Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17V5 helicopter, carrying Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 13 others, informed sources.
Dramatic visuals showed fidgety people inside the cable cars that hung in air against the backdrop of a rocky hill cliff that overlooked a densely-forested valley.
Western Air Command chief Air Marshal N A K Browne told media-persons in New Delhi on Friday that different types of radars would be put in place along the 667-km LAC with China, the air defence of which is the WAC's responsibility. "The Air Force is keenly examining the option of special type of radars, which we call the mountain radars and we are also looking at Low Level Light Weight Radars.
The use of RDX in the explosion was confirmed by experts after samples from the scene were sent for examination. While one of the bombs was laced with 1.5 kg of RDX, the other contained nearly 1 kg of RDX, the officials said.
The IAF is taking these emergency measures in the wake of reports that its fighting squadron strength has plunged to a low of 39 squadrons and reports that Pakistan is on the threshold of buying more F-16 fighters from United States.
The IAF has cited 'overexposure' and 'monetary constraints' as reasons.
Singapore to use IAF station to train personnel
An orange alert has been sounded for Srinagar, Avantipur, Jammu, Pathankot, Hindon airbases after the monitoring of the terrorists' movements by the intelligence agencies.
This was the first time General Rawat flew in the home-made fighter jet, known for its agility, being the smallest and lightest multirole supersonic fighter jet in its class.
Rediff.com's Ashish Narsale reviews the Android game Indian Air Force: A Cut Above.
The report said that Pakistan also plans to lodge a complaint against India at the United Nations, accusing New Delhi of "eco-terrorism".
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.
A heavy-duty drilling machine flown in by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Delhi began boring through the rubble of a collapsed tunnel on the Char Dham route in Uttarakhand Thursday, in a fresh attempt to create an escape passage for 40 workers trapped inside for four days.
The test flight is a victory for public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which has strongly backed the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 project, defying a skeptical Indian Air Force
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.
In a precarious mission, Wing Commander Charles Simon and Squadron Leader S Venkatramanan and crew rescued a woman in labour from atop a water tank in Chennai. She delivered twins! Archana Masih/Rediff.com spoke to the pilots about that dramatic day.
It is learnt that the probe team led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh examined all likely scenarios for the crash including possible human error or whether it was a case of disorientation by the crew when the helicopter was preparing for landing.
Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja was tortured and killed after his MiG-21 was shot down and he ejected across the Line of Control during the Kargil War.
'There is much to glean from such exercises. And make it known that we are ready to take them on together!', says Air Commodore Nition Sathe (retd).
The IAF chief said projects like Integrated Materials Management On-Line System and Modern Air Defence Ground Environment System Communication Network will need to be exploited to the hilt.
The IAF had carried out 517 sorties of Fixed Wing aircraft, airlifting 3,787 people and 1,350 tonnes of load, and 634 sorties of helicopters, winching 584 people and airlifting 247 tonnes of load.
Official sources said all the injured people on board the Mi-17V5 helicopter have been evacuated from the spot of the accident.
Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa calling the FOC a 'major milestone'.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances