The Indian Air Force was created on October 8, 1932, when the first group of Indian pilots were sent to Great Britain for training. The first squadron of the Indian Air Force, formed on April 1, 1933 in Karachi, became part of the British Air Force. The collapse of the British colony into two states (India and Pakistan) in 1947 led to the division of its air force. The Indian Air Force consists of only 6.5 squadrons. Currently, the Indian Air Force is the fourth largest after the United States, China and Russia.
Organization, strength, combat strength and weapons. The general management of the air force is carried out by a headquarters headed by a chief (also known as the commander-in-chief of the air force) with the rank of air chief marshal. He is responsible to the government of the country for the state of the Air Force, the solution of the tasks assigned to them and their further development.
The headquarters manages the development of national plans for operational and mobilization deployment, plans and controls combat and operational training, ensures the participation of the Air Force in national exercises, and organizes interaction with the headquarters of the ground forces and naval forces. Being the highest body of operational control of the air force, it is divided into operational and general parts.
Organizationally, the Indian Air Force consists of five air commands - Western (headquarters in Delhi), South-Western (Jodhpur), Central (Allahabad), Eastern (Shillong) and Southern (Trivandrum), as well as training.
Air Command is the highest operational force, headed by a commander with the rank of air marshal. It is designed to conduct air operations on one or two operational directions. The commander is responsible for the combat readiness of units and subunits, plans and conducts operational and combat training, exercises and training on the scale of the command entrusted to him. In wartime, he interacts with the commands of the ground forces and naval forces conducting combat operations in his area of responsibility. The Air Command has air wings, anti-aircraft guided missile wings, as well as individual units and subunits. The combat composition of this command is not constant: it depends on the operational situation in the area of responsibility and the assigned tasks.
Air wing is a tactical unit of the national air force. It consists of a headquarters, one to four aviation squadrons, as well as combat and logistics support units. As a rule, air wings are not of the same type in composition, and they may include squadrons of various types of aviation.
Aviation squadron is the main tactical unit of the national air force, capable of operating independently or as part of an air wing. It usually includes three detachments, two of which are flying (combat), and the third is technical. The squadron is armed with aircraft of the same type, the number of which (from 16 to 20) depends on the mission of the squadron. An air squadron is usually based at one airfield.
The air force numbers 140 thousand people. There are a total of 772 combat aircraft in service (as of September 1, 2000).
Combat aviation includes fighter-bomber, fighter and reconnaissance aircraft.
Fighter-bomber aviation has 17 squadrons, which are armed with MiG-21, MiG-23 (Fig. 1), MiG-27 (279 units) and Jaguar (88) aircraft.
Fighter aviation is the backbone of the nation's air force. It consists of 20 squadrons, which are armed with Su-30 (Fig. 2), MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29 (Fig. 3) aircraft of various modifications (325 units) and Mi-Rage-2000 ( 35 units, Fig. 4).
Reconnaissance aircraft include two squadrons (16 aircraft), equipped with MiG-25 reconnaissance aircraft (eight), as well as legacy Canberra aircraft (eight).
The air defense fighter aviation is represented by one aviation squadron of MiG-29 aircraft (21 units).
The auxiliary aviation includes transport aviation units, communications aircraft, a government squadron, as well as combat training and training squadrons. They are armed with: 25 Il-76,105 An-32 aircraft (Fig. 5), 40 Do-228 (Fig. 6), two Boeing 707, four Boeing 737,120 NJT-16 “Kiran-1”, 50 HJT “Kiran-1” 2" (see color insert), 38 "Hunter", as well as 80 Mi-8 helicopters (Fig. 7), 35 Mi-17, ten Mi-26, 20 "Chitak". In addition, the Air Force has three squadrons of Mi-25 combat helicopters (32 units).
Aerodrome network. According to foreign press data, there are 340 airfields in the country (of which 143 are with artificial turf: 11 have runways over 3,000 m long, 50 - from 2,500 to 3,000 m, 82 - from 1,500 to 2,500 m ). In peacetime, about 60 airfields of various classes are allocated for the basing of combat and auxiliary aviation, the main of which are the following: Delhi, Srinagar, Pathan Kot, Ambala, Jodhpur, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Pune, Tambaram, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Agra, Allahabad, Gwalior, Nagpur, Kalaikunda, Bagdogra, Gauhati, Shillong (Fig. 8).
Training and retraining of Air Force personnel are carried out in educational institutions that are part of the Air Force Training Command, which trains specialists for all branches of aviation, headquarters, agencies and services of the Air Force. Pilots, navigators and radio operators are trained at the Air Force Flight College (Jodhpur). This educational institution accepts graduates of the aviation department of the National Defense Academy and the national cadet corps. Upon completion, the course of study continues in one of the training wings of the Air Training Command, after which graduates are awarded the rank of officer.
Air defense India is mainly of an object nature. Its main efforts are concentrated on protecting the most important military installations, military-industrial and administrative centers from air attack. Air defense forces and means include air defense fighter aviation units, anti-aircraft guided missile systems, command posts and centers, as well as detection, processing and data transmission facilities that provide all components of the air defense system with the necessary information.
Currently, the entire territory of India is divided into five air defense regions (Western, Southwestern, Central, Eastern and Southern), the boundaries of which coincide with the areas of responsibility of the corresponding air commands. Air defense areas are divided into sectors. The sector is the lowest territorial air defense unit, within which planning of combat operations is carried out, as well as the management of air defense forces and means.
Rice. 7. Group of Mi-8 transport and landing helicopters
The main organizational unit of air defense is the missile defense wing. As a rule, it consists of a headquarters, two to five missile defense squadrons and a technical squadron.
Operational control of air defense forces and means is carried out at three levels: the operational center of Indian air defense, operational centers of air defense areas, control and warning centers of air defense sectors.
Air Defense Operations Center is the country's highest air defense management body, which collects and processes data on the air situation and assesses it. During combat operations, he issues target designations to air defense areas and manages the distribution of forces and assets of the areas in order to repel an air attack in the most dangerous directions.
Air defense district operational centers solve the following tasks: assess the air situation, manage air defense forces and means, organize the interception of air targets in their area of responsibility.
Control and warning centers for air defense sectors are the main control bodies in the air defense system. Their functions include: monitoring the airspace, detecting, identifying and tracking air targets, transmitting warning signals, announcing alarms, transmitting commands to lift fighters into the air and point them at the target, as well as transmitting target designations and commands to open fire with anti-aircraft missile systems .
To monitor the air situation in India, a network of stationary and mobile radar posts has been deployed. Data exchange between them and air defense centers is carried out using cable lines, tropospheric and radio relay communication systems, as well as the automated control system of the Indian Air Force.
The SAM squadrons are armed with 280 launchers of the S-75 “Dvina” and S-125 “Pechora” air defense systems.
Rice. 8. Location of the main air bases of the Indian Air Force
Operational and combat training of the Indian Air Force is aimed at increasing the level of training of command and control bodies at all levels, the combat and mobilization readiness of aviation formations, formations and units, maintaining them at a high degree of combat readiness, as well as improving the forms and methods of using aviation, air defense forces and means in modern warfare . At the same time, in the context of government restrictions on the financial needs of the armed forces, the Air Force command as a whole ensures the implementation of the main planned combat training activities mainly through an integrated approach to organizing their implementation and optimizing the composition of the forces and assets involved. Considering that the Indian leadership considers Pakistan as the main potential enemy, most of the combat training activities of the Western, Southwestern and Central Aviation Commands of the Indian Air Force are carried out against the backdrop of an aggravation of the situation on the Indian-Pakistani border with the subsequent escalation of the border conflict into full-scale hostilities.
Development of the air force. The military-political leadership of India pays constant attention to the development of the Air Force and increasing its combat capabilities. In particular, the forces are provided for further improvement of their organizational structure and increase in combat capabilities, qualitative improvement of the aircraft fleet and development of the airfield network, widespread use of electronic warfare equipment, as well as the introduction of automated control systems. The Air Force command considers it necessary to continue the adoption of the Su-30I multirole fighters, to intensify the implementation of the program for modernizing obsolete fighters of the MiG-21 and MiG-23 types, to decide on the supply of 10 Mirage-2000 aircraft from France, and also to begin with the assistance of British specialists to the production of modernized Jaguar tactical fighters at Indian aviation enterprises. Priority national programs currently being implemented include the development of prototypes of the light combat aircraft, light combat helicopter, short-range Trishul and medium-range Akash air defense systems.
In general, according to the Indian command, the implementation of the Air Force modernization plan will significantly increase the combat capabilities of this type of armed forces and bring it into line with the requirements of the national military doctrine.
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About the state of the Indian Air Force
Events in recent days have focused attention on the state of the Indian Air Force. The domestic public is somewhat surprised by the progress of yet another escalation of the protracted conflict between India and Pakistan. It would seem that the Indian Air Force, equipped with hundreds of modern aircraft, objectively lost the first round of confrontation with the long-term enemy. Moreover, instead of using modern combat vehicles, such as the Su-30 supplied from Russia, in the first days of the escalation, outdated MiG-21 and Mirage-2000 went into battle. On February 27, in the state of Kashmir bordering Pakistan, a Mi-17 helicopter was lost, possibly falling for reasons unrelated to enemy actions; in addition, a MiG-21-90 fighter was shot down by Pakistani F-16s. This result looks somewhat strange against the backdrop of India’s technical superiority over its neighbor’s aviation. However, it is worth understanding the state of the country's air force in more detail.
Indeed, India's aircraft fleet is perhaps the most modern in the region. The local air force is armed with at least 220 Su-30MKI fighters, produced under license in the country. Another 50 aircraft of this type were delivered from Russia in assembled form.
Indian Air Force Su-30MKI
In addition, Indian aviation is armed with over 60 MiG-29 fighters, supplied from the USSR. At the beginning of 2019, it became known that the Indian leadership was negotiating with the Russian Federation on the supply of an additional batch of MiG-29 fighters.
Along with Russian aviation equipment, India is trying to purchase modern aircraft from Western countries. In particular, a batch of 36 Rafale fighters was to be purchased from France. However, to this day, aircraft of this type have not entered service with the Indian Air Force due to numerous scandals related to corruption schemes.
In addition to purchasing aircraft equipment abroad, India is trying to start producing its own aircraft. In particular, it is planned to introduce fighters into service with the local air force. Tejas, which in the future should replace the outdated MiG-21. The length of the Tejas fighter is 13.2 m, the wingspan is 8.2 m, the height is 4.4 m. The empty aircraft weighs 5.5 tons, its maximum take-off weight is 15.5 tons. The aircraft is armed with a 23-mm double-barreled main gun. -23 and has 8 hardpoints for bombs, missiles and support equipment. However, so far the production of aircraft of this type is proceeding at a rather slow pace.
Tejas fighter
The strike component of the Indian Air Force is represented by aviation equipment of the 70s-80s. In particular, there are over 200 MiG-21 fighters; in addition, the Indian Air Force has over 60 MiG-27 fighter-bombers. French aircraft have become widespread in the country. Thus, the Air Force includes over 100 French Jaguar fighter-bombers, some of which were produced in India under license, as well as about 50 Mirage-2000 multirole fighters. It was the Mirages that struck terrorist camps in Kashmir on February 26 of this year. The presence of a huge fleet of obsolete fighter-bombers leads to a high accident rate in the Indian Air Force, but this will be discussed separately.
India has AWACS and electronic reconnaissance aircraft. This significantly increases the potential of the country's air force. In particular, the Indian army is armed with 3 Russian A-50 aircraft, which were involved in the operation against militants in Kashmir on February 26, as well as 5 Brazilian-made DRDO AEW&CS vehicles and 3 Gulfstream electronic reconnaissance vehicles and 3 Bombardier 5000 received from Israel.
The Indian military transport aviation fleet looks quite powerful. India has 6 Il-78 refueling aircraft, which were used to refuel Mirage 2000s during the strikes in Kashmir, 27 Il-76 aircraft, approximately 100 modernized An-32 transport aircraft, as well as 10 US C-32 transport aircraft. 17 and 5 S-130 Hercules vehicles. In mountainous terrain, the country's military transport aviation is capable of quickly transporting reinforcements to the conflict area by air.
The Indian Air Force has a significant number of training aircraft. In particular, Indian aviation includes over 80 BAE Hawk Mk.132, 75 Pilatus PC-7, over 150 HAL Kiran, and 80 HAL HPT-32 Deepak. It is noteworthy that the last two types of machines are locally developed. In the event of the outbreak of a large-scale war, these aircraft can be used as light attack aircraft.
BAE Hawk Mk.132 on parade
India does not have many attack helicopters. Thus, there are about 20 Mi-35 helicopters, which are fully suitable for combat operations in mountainous areas. However, the Indian army includes over 220 Mi-17 helicopters, which can easily carry unguided weapons. In particular, during the hostilities against Pakistan in 1999, vehicles of this type were used in Kashmir as attack vehicles. The Mi-17 performed well in high altitude conditions. By the way, on February 27, for unknown reasons, a helicopter of this type was lost in Kashmir, most likely used to supply the border group. In addition, the Indian Army is armed with 40 Aérospatiale SA 316B (HAL SA316B) light helicopters, the production license for which was purchased from France, and about 120 Indian-developed HAL SA315B and HAL Dhruv light vehicles. However, the use of light multi-purpose helicopters in high altitude conditions seems doubtful. Along with the machines in service, India entered into an agreement to supply over 20 AN-64 Apache helicopters from the United States.
Along with the Indian Air Force, its navy also has combat aviation. Thus, a total of 45 MiG-29K fighters were ordered in Russia, capable of solving combat missions of various profiles.
It would seem that the potential of the Indian Air Force, which has hundreds of modern combat aircraft, as well as the ability to both assemble aircraft under license and produce its own combat aircraft, leaves Pakistan no chance of success. However, along with modern aviation technology, the local air force has hundreds of aircraft that were obsolete in the 80s. Ironically, it was these very vehicles that are stationed in Kashmir that collided with Pakistani F-16 fighter jets on February 27. The MiG-21 was an advanced aircraft of its time, and even now it is capable of striking ground targets, but in confrontation with fighters of the next generations it has virtually no chance of success.
In addition to the presence of outdated equipment, Indian aviation has serious human factor problems. Thus, the high accident rate has become a real scourge of the local air force. During 2018, at least 13 aircraft were lost in accidents. Another 5 planes have crashed since the beginning of the new year, 2019. And the leadership of the country's air force itself took the potential of the Pakistani air force rather lightly. The deployment of obsolete MiG-21s in the conflict zone and sending them into battle against Pakistani F-16 fighters is obviously caused by a banal underestimation of the enemy, which led to the loss of aircraft.
Dmitry Valyuzhenich for ANNA-News
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Image caption The latest crash of an Indian MiG-21 occurred during landing - the most difficult maneuver
The Delhi High Court is considering a lawsuit by a pilot of the country's Air Force demanding that the world's most common fighter aircraft, the MiG-21, be declared an object that violates the human right to life.
Moreover, we are not talking about the lives of those against whom this plane can be used - a lawsuit was filed by Indian Air Force pilot, wing commander Sanjit Singh Kayla, who claims that the plane not only violates his right to life, but also does not ensure the right to safe conditions labor, which is guaranteed by the country's constitution.
He filed the claim in court on July 17, 48 hours after the MiG-21 crash near the Nal airbase in Rajistan, in which a young Indian pilot died.
The court accepted the application and adjourned the hearing until October 10 to study the list of accidents involving these aircraft.
Public data released to the press says that out of more than 900 MiG-21s that the Indian Air Force received, more than 400 aircraft crashed. More than 130 pilots were killed.
There have been 29 accidents in the Indian Air Force in the last three years. 12 of them involved the MiG-21. In India, this aircraft, which was the mainstay of the fighter fleet for decades, was nicknamed the “flying coffin”.
True, the MiG’s opponent in the Indo-Pakistani war, the American F-104 fighter, received exactly the same nickname among its pilots.
"Balalaika"
The second-generation supersonic jet fighter MiG-21 was created at the Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau in the mid-1950s.
In all respects, the new MiG turned out to be an order of magnitude more complex and technologically advanced than its predecessor, the MiG-19. In the Soviet Air Force, it was immediately nicknamed “balalaika” for its characteristic shape of triangular wings.
This number takes into account fighters produced in India, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, but does not take into account the Chinese copies - the J7 fighters (that is, in fact, even more of them were produced).
India decided to purchase the MiG-21 in 1961. Deliveries began in 1963, and a few years later the MiG, along with another Su-7 heavy fighter, took part in the war with Pakistan.
This aircraft changed the situation in the Indian Air Force and raised it to a whole new level.
"Wonderful lady"
During the Indo-Pakistani conflict, he played an important role in air battles, and in many ways, it was then that a special attitude towards him arose among Indian pilots.
Among them, many, if not the majority, do not at all share the opinion of Sanjeet Singh Kail, who filed an application in court.
“It was the best fighter of its time. How long has it been flying with us, 40 years? And it’s still in service. It’s just a wonderful plane,” retired Colonel General of the Indian Air Force Yogi Rai told the BBC Russian Service.
Another Indian Air Force general, Anil Tipnis, published an article on the Indian military-analytical website Bharat Rakshak entitled “My Fair Lady - An Ode to the MiG-21.”
“Over four decades, the MiG-21 has become the backbone of India’s air defense in both peace and war. It vigilantly defended the country day and night,” the general wrote in his note.
MiG does not forgive mistakes
Image caption The MiG-21 became the world record holder for the number of units produced. Many allies of the USSR were armed with them.However, the number of accidents and disasters is an indisputable fact. The number of MiG-21s destroyed as a result of accidents, the number of pilots killed in these accidents, is greater than the number of pilots killed by the enemy.
Retired Indian Air Force Colonel General Yogi Rai explained this simply: “The number of MiG-21s in the Indian Air Force is large, they are actively used, and accordingly the number of accidents is also high.” However, there are other versions.
First of all, as Vladimir V., a graduate of the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School, who himself learned to fly the MiG-21, told the BBC, this aircraft, due to its flight characteristics, is difficult to control - it did not forgive mistakes of an inexperienced pilot.
With a very small wing area it was designed for high speed flight, but landing the aircraft required great skill.
“They joked about the 21st: “Why does he need wings?” “So that the cadets wouldn’t be afraid to fly.” It was very strict on the speed there. If you couldn’t handle the power, you turned it off, then that’s it – it was a failure, the vertical speed was high, that’s all,” said the pilot.
Moreover, due to the same design feature, the plane could not glide - if it began to fall, then it was only possible to eject.
True, other fighters of this generation also suffered from the same disease - in the USSR the Su-7 was considered the most dangerous; in the Air Forces of Western countries there were legends about the disasters of the enemy MiG-21 - the American F-104 fighter, whose accident rate corresponded to the levels of the Indian MiG-21.
The latter, being conceptually close to the MiG-21, also suffered from the fact that it was prepared for high-speed flights, and not for a comfortable landing.
Spare parts
Over the past 10-15 years, as far as I know, after the Soviet Union became Russia, incoming spare parts need to be... checked by Uday Baskar
Indian military expert
The MiG-21, which crashed near the Nal airbase in Rajistan, fell during landing. There are no official reports about the reasons for its fall, but it is known that it was piloted by an inexperienced pilot.
In India, as many experts note, there is a problem with cadets mastering high-speed aircraft - they do not have time to gain experience when transferring from training to high-speed aircraft.
Another problem is spare parts. As Uday Baskar, one of the leading Indian military experts, said in an interview with the BBC, the military has many complaints against Russian enterprises regarding the quality of aircraft spare parts.
“Over the last 10-15 years, as far as I know, after the Soviet Union became Russia, incoming spare parts need to be... checked,” he said, emphasizing that this is not the official position of the Indian Air Force, but his personal opinion.
The problem of spare parts for MiGs really exists. Perhaps for reasons that the Indian analyst carefully noted, and perhaps for other reasons, India purchases spare parts for fighter jets not only from Russia, but also from other countries.
In May 2012, Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin said that Indian MiGs are being destroyed due to counterfeit spare parts, advising them to be purchased only in Russia.
Diversification of supplies
Currently, about a hundred MiG-21 fighters remain in service with the Indian Air Force. They will be permanently phased out as new aircraft become available - a competition for the supply of 126 fighters worth more than $10 billion was recently completed in India.
The Russian MiG-35 fighter also took part in the tender, but ultimately lost to the French Rafale.
In addition, Russia also lost in the competition to supply India with military transport and attack helicopters.
In each specific case, experts note that the loss can be explained by the non-compliance of Russian devices with technical specifications.
However, there is a general trend - India, which for decades depended on arms supplies from the USSR, now wants to try Western weapons.
And this means the MiG-21, which guarded the Indian skies for four decades, will soon remain only in the memory of Indians - as a reliable defender and a not very reliable aircraft.
In terms of the number of aircraft, they are in fourth place among the largest air forces in the world (after the USA, Russia and China).
The British Indian Armed Forces were created on October 8, 1932. During World War II, they took part in battles with the Japanese on the Burma front. In 1947, India gained independence from Great Britain. Due to the unfair drawing of borders, clashes immediately began between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, which led to the death of more than half a million people. In 1947-1949, 1965, 1971, 1984 and 1999, India fought with Pakistan, and in 1962 with the People's Republic of China. Unsettled borders force the state on the Hindustan Peninsula with a population of 1.22 billion people to spend huge amounts of money on maintaining the armed forces. In 2014, about 40 billion US dollars were allocated for these purposes.
Indian Air Force structure
Aerobatic team of the Indian Air Force SURYA KIRAN Surya Kiran, which translated into our sun rays
The Indian Air Force (numbering over 150 thousand people) is organizationally an integral part of the combined branch of the armed forces - the Air Force and Air Defense (Air Defense). The leadership of the Air Force is carried out by the Chief of Staff. The Air Force headquarters consists of departments: operations, planning, combat training, reconnaissance, electronic warfare (EW), meteorological, financial and communications.
There are five air commands subordinate to the headquarters, which manage local units:
- Central (Allahabad),
- Western (Delhi),
- Eastern (Shillong),
- South (Trivandrum),
- Southwestern (Gandhinagar), as well as educational (Bangalore).
The Air Force has 38 air wing headquarters and 47 combat aviation squadrons. India has a developed airfield network. The main military airfields are located near the cities of: Udhampur, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, Ambala, Adampur, Halwara, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Sirsa, Malout, Delhi, Pune, Bhuj, Jodhpur, Baroda, Sulur, Tambaram, Jorhat, Tezpur, Hashimara, Bagdogra , Barrkpur, Agra, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Gwalior and Kalaikunda.
Military transport multi-purpose aircraft An-32 Indian Air Force
Currently, the republic's Air Force is in the process of reorganization: the number of aircraft is being reduced, old planes and helicopters are gradually being replaced by new or modernized models, flight training of pilots is improving, piston training aircraft are being replaced by new jets.
Training equipment “Kiran” of the Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force operates 774 combat and 295 auxiliary aircraft. Fighter-bomber aviation includes 367 aircraft, organized into 18 squadrons:
- one -
- three - MiG-23
- four - "Jaguar"
- six - MiG-27 (the Indians plan to write off most MiG-27s by 2015)
- four - MiG-21.
The fighter aviation consists of 368 aircraft in 20 squadrons:
- 14 MiG-21 squadrons (120 MiG-21s intend to operate until 2019)
- one - MiG-23MF and UM
- three - MiG-29
- two - " "
- eight squadrons of Su-30MK aircraft.
Reconnaissance aviation has one squadron of Canberra aircraft (eight aircraft) and one MiG-25R (six aircraft), as well as two MiG-25U, a Boeing 707 and a Boeing 737.
The electronic warfare aviation includes: three American Gulfstream III, four Canberra aircraft, four HS-748 helicopters, three Russian-made AWACS A-50EI aircraft.
Il-38SD-ATES Indian Air Force and Navy
Transport aviation is armed with 212 aircraft, grouped into 13 squadrons: six squadrons of Ukrainian An-32 (105 aircraft), two each of Do 228, BAe 748 and Il-76 (17 aircraft), as well as two Boeing 737-200 aircraft , seven BAe-748 and five American C-130J Super Hercules.
In addition, the aviation units are armed with 28 BAe-748, 120 Kiran-1, 56 Kiran-2, 38 Hunter (20 P-56, 18 T-66), 14 Jaguar, nine MiG-29UB, 44 Polish TS-11 Iskra, 88 NRT-32 trainers and a heavy-duty administrative Boeing 737-700 BBJ.
Helicopter aviation includes 36 attack helicopters, organized into three squadrons Mi-25 (export version of Mi-24) and Mi-35, as well as 159 transport and transport-combat helicopters Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-26 and Chitak. (Indian licensed version of the French Alouette III), organized into eleven squadrons.
Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force. 2010
The main problem of the Indian Air Force is the extremely high accident rate caused by worn-out equipment, high flight intensity and insufficient qualifications of new pilots. Most of the flight accidents occur on old Soviet MiG-21 fighters made in India. Thus, from 1971 to 2012, 382 MiGs of this series crashed. But Western-made planes also crash in India.
Indian Air Force reorganization program
The Indian Air Force plans to introduce 460 newly built combat aircraft over the next 10 years, including:
- own production of light fighters LCA (light combat airctaft) "Tejas" (148 units) to replace the old MiG-21,
- French Rafales (126 units),
- 144 5th generation FGFA fighters (created within the framework of an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and India)
- and an additional 42 Russian Su-ZOMKIs (after the implementation of this program, the total number of Su-ZOMKIs will reach 272 units).
- In addition, the Air Force purchased six Airbus A300 MRTT refueling aircraft assembled in Europe (in addition to the six already existing Russian Il-78 MKI), ten American Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and other models of various aircraft and helicopters of different countries of the world.
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