AIRCRAFT INVENTORY
The Indian Air Force has aircraft and equipment of Russian (erstwhile Soviet Union), British, French, Israeli, U.S. and Indian origins with Russian aircraft dominating its inventory. HAL produces some of the Russian and British aircraft in India under licence. The exact number of aircraft in service with the Indian Air Force cannot be determined with precision from open sources. Various reliable sources provide notably divergent estimates for a variety of high-visibility aircraft.[108]
Multi-role fighters and strike aircraft[edit]
The IAF's primary air superiority fighter with the additional capability to conduct air-ground (strike) missions is Sukhoi Su-30MKI. The IAF have placed an order for a total of 272 Su-30MKIs[110] of which 224[111] are in service as of August 2014. The Mikoyan MiG-29 known asBaaz (Hindi for Hawk) is a dedicated air superiority fighter and constitutes a second line of defence after the Sukhoi Su-30MKI. 66 MiG-29s are in service, all of which are currently being upgraded to the MiG-29UPG standard.[112] The Dassault Mirage 2000, known as Vajra(Sanskrit for Thunderbolt) in Indian service, is the primary multirole fighter, the IAF currently operates 49 Mirage 2000Hs and 8 Mirage 2000 TH all of which are currently being upgraded to the Mirage 2000-5 MK2 standard and 2 Mirage 2000-5 MK2 as of March 2015[113][114] The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 serves as an Interceptor aircraft in the IAF. The IAF have phased out most of its MiG-21s and plans to keep only 125 that have been upgraded to MiG-21 Bison standard.[115] These aircraft will be phased out between 2014 and 2017.[116] The MiG-21s are planned to be replaced by the indigenously built HAL Tejas.[117][118]
The SEPECAT Jaguar known as Shamsher and the Mikoyan MiG-27 known as Bahadur (Hindi for Valiant) serve as the IAF's primary ground attack force.[119] The IAF currently operates 139 Jaguars[120] and over 85 MiG-27s.[121]
Airborne early warning and control aircraft[edit]
The IAF is currently training the crew in operating the indigenously developed DRDO AEW&CS flying on the Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft. The IAF also operates the EL/W-2090 Phalcon AEW&C incorporated in a Beriev A-50 platform. A total of 3 such systems are currently in service, with possible orders for 2 more.[122][123][124]
Aerial refueling[edit]
The IAF currently operates 7 Ilyushin Il-78MKIs in the aerial refueling (tanker) role.[125][126]
Transport aircraft[edit]
For strategic airlift operations the IAF uses the Ilyushin Il-76 known as Gajraj (Hindi for King Elephant) in Indian service.[127] The IAF currently operates 17 Il-76s,[128] which are getting replaced by C-17 Globemaster IIIs.[129][130]
The C-130J of the IAF is used by special forces for combined Army-Air Force operations.[131] India purchased six C-130Js; however, one such C-130J crashed at Gwalior on 28 March 2014 while on a training mission, killing all 5 onboard and destroying the aircraft.[132][133]The Antonov An-32 known as Sutlej (name of an Indian river) serves as medium transport aircraft in the IAF. The aircraft is also used in bombing roles and para-dropping operations.[134] The IAF currently operates 105 An-32s, all of which are being upgraded.[134] TheDornier Do 228 serves as light transport aircraft in the IAF.[135] The IAF also operates Boeing 737s[136] and Embraer ECJ-135 Legacy aircraft[137] as VIP transports and passenger airliners for troops. Other VIP transport aircraft are used for both the President of India and the Prime Minister of India under the call sign Air India One.[138]
The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 once formed the backbone of the IAF's transport fleet, but are now used mainly for training and communication duties.[139] A replacement is under consideration.[140]
Trainer aircraft[edit]
The HAL HPT-32 Deepak is IAF's basic flight training aircraft for cadets.[141] The HPT-32 was grounded in July 2009 following a crash that killed two senior flight instructors,[142] but was revived in May 2010[142] and is to be fitted with a parachute recovery system (PRS) to enhance survivability during an emergency in the air and to bring the trainer down safely.[142] The HPT-32 is to be phased out soon.[142]The HPT 32 has been replaced by Pilatus, a swiss aircraft. The IAF uses the HAL HJT-16 Kiran mk.I for intermediate flight training of cadets, while the HJT-16 Kiran mk.II provides advanced flight and weapons training.[143][144] The HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 is also operated by the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) of the IAF.[145] The Kiran is to be replaced by the HAL HJT-36 Sitara.[146] The BAE Hawk Mk 132 serves as an advanced jet trainer in the IAF and is progressively replacing the Kiran Mk.II. The IAF has begun the process of converting the Surya Kiran display team to Hawks.[91] A total of 106 BAE Hawk trainers have been ordered by the IAF of which 39 have entered service as of July 2010.[147]
Helicopters[edit]
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The HAL Dhruv serves primarily as a light utility helicopter in the IAF. In addition to transport and utility roles, newer Dhruvs are also used as attack helicopters.[148] 4 Dhruvs are also operated by the Indian Air Force Sarang Helicopter Display Team.[93] The HAL Chetak is a light utility helicopter and is used primarily for training, rescue and light transport roles in the IAF.[149] The HAL Chetak is being gradually replaced by HAL Dhruv.[149] The HAL Cheetah is a light utility helicopter used for high altitude operations. It is used for both transport and search-and-rescue missions in the IAF.[150] The Mil Mi-8 and the Mil Mi-17, Mi-17 1V and Mi-17V 5 are operated by the IAF for medium lift strategic and utility roles. The Mi-8 is being progressively replaced by the Mi-17 series of helicopters.[151][152] The IAF has ordered 80+59 Mi-17V-5s to replace and augment its existing fleet of Mi-8s and Mi-17s. .[153] The Mil Mi-26 serves as a heavy lift helicopter in the IAF. It can also be used to transport troops or as a flying ambulance. The IAF currently operates 3 Mi-26s.[154]
The Mil Mi-35 serves primarily as an attack helicopter in the IAF. The Mil Mi-35 can also act as a low-capacity troop transport. The IAF currently operates 2 squadrons (No.104 Firebirds and No.125 Gladiators) of Mi-25/35s.[155]
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles[edit]
The IAF currently uses the IAI Searcher II[156] and IAI Heron[157] for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes. The IAI Harpy serves as an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) which is designed to attack radar systems.[158] The IAF also operates the DRDO Lakshya which serves as realistic towed aerial sub-targets for live fire training.[159]
Land-based missile systems[edit]
Surface-to-air missile systems[edit]
The S-125 Pechora[160] and the 9K33 Osa[105] as Surface-to-air missile systems in service are being replaced with the Akash medium range surface-to-air missile system. A total of 8 squadrons has been ordered so far[161]out of which 2 squadrons have been delivered and stationed at Gwalior and Pune.
Ballistic missiles[edit]
The IAF currently operates the Prithvi-II short-range ballistic missile (SRBM). The Prithvi-II is an IAF-specific variant of the Prithvi ballistic missile.[162]