Indian Air Force : Updates & Discussions

Let’s Talk About The IAF’s Terrific New Photo Stream​

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The Indian Air Force, operator of one of the most diverse fleets of combat aircraft in the world, appears to have finally embraced the magic of visual storytelling. In the last few weeks, the IAF’s social media handles have positively exploded with perhaps the first high quality images of frontline aircraft in years. The IAF’s otherwise somewhat staid social media handles have been replete with a stream of mid-air photographs of air assets, the likes of which we’ve definitely never seen before.


Courtesy a handful of talented officers, including Group Captain KD Beri, Western Air Command spokesperson Wing Commander Indranil Nandi and Flt Lt DS Sekhon, the general public, and especially aviation buffs, have been treated to a near non-stop — and very welcome — slew of photographs of fleet assets that include the new Rafales, Su-30 MKIs, MiG-29UPGs, the Embraer-DRDO Netra AEW jets and more.

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Thankfully the energy has caught on, and it doesn’t look like the IAF will be slowing down on something that professional photographers have been advising for years. Today, it published a trio of pictures of a rotorcraft elephant walk of sorts on the Leh airstrip in Ladakh, depicting all helicopter assets (except for the Chetak and Mi-26). These included the Cheetah/Lama, AH-64E Apache, Mi-17 V5 and CH-47F Chinook.

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The IAF appears to have finally figured out how to fit in high quality shoots as part of exercises and operational deployments, since it’s near impossible that special flights for photographs would have passed budgetary muster. On Air Force day on October 8, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted this photograph by Wg Cdr Indranil Nandi of a Mirage 2000 with a Crystal Maze precision guided munition, mirroring a similar loadout with Spice 2000 weaponry that Mirages had employed during the 2019 air strikes on Pakistan’s Balakot:

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Another heart-stopping midair shot showed the IAF’s oldest and newest active types in the air together — a MiG-21 Type 69 and a Rafale:

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After a lot of calls for the indigenous Tejas to be included in the terrific stream of pictures, the IAF obliged:

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Also making use of the Rafale’s active deployments for operations and displays to pop off a few during flare runs:

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Aviation watchers have particularly loved this head-on shot of a Jaguar with a Rafale over the Himalayan foothills:

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And then this one:

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Private aviation photographers have for years wanted the IAF to amp up its visual storytelling, something they’ve done admirably for years in the face of access issues and logistical odds. Read more here:




 
Are our C17 and P8i crews qualified for performing A2A refuelling with the fixed boom method? As the provision seems to be there on the aircraft, but all our refuelling aircraft utilise the more widely accepted probe and drogue method. So in a hypothetical situation where a friendly Air Force were to provide A2A refuelling for these aircraft are our crews certified for it?
@randomradio @Gautam @vstol Jockey and others
 
Are our C17 and P8i crews qualified for performing A2A refuelling with the fixed boom method? As the provision seems to be there on the aircraft, but all our refuelling aircraft utilise the more widely accepted probe and drogue method. So in a hypothetical situation where a friendly Air Force were to provide A2A refuelling for these aircraft are our crews certified for it?
The crews of the C17 & the P-8I were trained in the US at the manufacturer's facility, Boeing in this case. Fixed boom re-fueling is a part of USAF's & by extension Boeing's training module. US is pushing for more interoperability between Indian & American forces, they won't let this chance go. Boeing of course has their own interest in pushing the IAF to adopt a USAF like refueling tankers, they have been trying to sell the KC-46 Pegasus tankers & the Wedgetail AEW&CS to the IAF.

So our crews should be trained in Fixed boom refueling. IAF crews can of course refuse to attend in such courses, I am not sure why they would do so. Nothing wrong with learning a new thing.
 
The crews of the C17 & the P-8I were trained in the US at the manufacturer's facility, Boeing in this case. Fixed boom re-fueling is a part of USAF's & by extension Boeing's training module. US is pushing for more interoperability between Indian & American forces, they won't let this chance go. Boeing of course has their own interest in pushing the IAF to adopt a USAF like refueling tankers, they have been trying to sell the KC-46 Pegasus tankers & the Wedgetail AEW&CS to the IAF.

So our crews should be trained in Fixed boom refueling. IAF crews can of course refuse to attend in such courses, I am not sure why they would do so. Nothing wrong with learning a new thing.

After training, if they are not using the skill for lets say 5 years, won't they need short training course again?
 
Are our C17 and P8i crews qualified for performing A2A refuelling with the fixed boom method? As the provision seems to be there on the aircraft, but all our refuelling aircraft utilise the more widely accepted probe and drogue method. So in a hypothetical situation where a friendly Air Force were to provide A2A refuelling for these aircraft are our crews certified for it?
@randomradio @Gautam @vstol Jockey and others

The C-17 crew may not have been trained in it, although the P-8I crew may have, since interoperability with US allies is part of their mission. As for the C-17, it has enough range to meet our needs without refuelling, making it unnecessary.
 
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refuelling in air is about keeping a fixed station w.r.t the tanker. If you can do refuelling using probe and drogue, u dont need any additional training for fixed boom.
 
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IAF conducts trial runs on airstrip days before PM Modi’s scheduled inauguration of Purvanchal Expressway​

The Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted trial runs on airstrip on Sunday, ahead of the inauguration of Purvanchal Expressway by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to land on the airstrip in a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft on November 16.


IAF aircraft were seen zooming past in a short video uploaded by news agency ANI on Sunday.



#WATCH | IAF fighter aircrafts conduct trial run on airstrip ahead of Purvanchal Expressway inauguration, in Sultanpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the expressway on Nov 16. pic.twitter.com/x2rY7wk4LG
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 14, 2021

The 340 kilometre-long Purvanchal expressway will connect Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) state capital Lucknow with the eastern districts like Mau, Azamgarh, Barabanki, and establish links with the two major cities of Prayagraj and Varanasi. A 3.3 km stretch has also been developed near Sultanpur district to allow fighter aircraft to make emergency landings.


UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath praised the development, stating that the Expressway will be known as the "spine of the economy Of the eastern Uttar Pradesh's economy". "Purvanchal will be completed by this month. Bundelkhand express will be completed by next month. Work on the Gorakhpur expressway is being done on a war footing," he said.

On November 16, Mirage 2000 and Su-30MKI aircraft would be making multiple takeoffs and landings at the emergency airstrip in the presence of the Prime Minister and various other dignitaries.

The Purvanchal Expressway is being developed as a part of the government’s plan to build emergency landing facilities for fighter planes around the country. Adityanath also said that an airstrip of 3.5 km is also made near Sultanpur and work is advancing on the Ganga expressway.
 
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Just to keep a tab on Mig21 squadrons which are still in service. Corrections welcome

1. There's No 3 squadron with Mig21 Bison at Pathankot
2. There's No 4 squadron with Mig21 Bison at Uttarlai
3. There's No 23 squadron with Mig21 Bison at Suratgarh
4. And finally No 51 squadron with Mig21 Bison from Srinagar

They are all to be retired by 2024 end.

Below a list of Mig21 squadrons retired but not yet re activated.

1. No 108 : Was retired in 2017.
2. No 37 : Unknown date of retirement
3. No 35 : Was retired sometime after 2017.
4. No 32 : Unknown date of retirement
5. No 26 : Was retired in 2020.
6. No 21 : Unknown date of retirement

Also below are the Mig27 squadrons which have not received any replacement

1. No 10 : was retired in 2019
2. No 22 : was retired in 2017
3. No 29 : was retired in 2019


Now in all probability we have confirmed orders for 4 Mk1A squadrons and maybe 1 Mig29 Squadron.
 
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@WHOHE

Pls note the Gnats shot down 3 Sabres. That's the equivalent of a MiG - 21 shooting down an F-16 or a Rafale shooting down an F-35 .

This isn't to say the Rafale is the equivalent of a Gnat or even a MiG-21 . It's a far more advanced aircraft than that & the technological gap between a Gnat & a Sabre or a MiG-21 & a F-16 far more than that between a Rafale & an F-35 but the point remains .
 
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@WHOHE

Pls note the Gnats shot down 3 Sabres. That's the equivalent of a MiG - 21 shooting down an F-16 or a Rafale shooting down an F-35 .

This isn't to say the Rafale is the equivalent of a Gnat or even a MiG-21 . It's a far more advanced aircraft than that & the technological gap between a Gnat & a Sabre or a MiG-21 & a F-16 far more than that between a Rafale & an F-35 but the point remains .
Yes one Rafale shoting down three F-35, this could start to be considered a good performance.