In a heartfelt tribute to a visionary leader, #IAF remembers the Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh on his 105th Birth Anniversary.

Conferred with the rank of #Marshal of the Air Force in 2002, Arjan Singh is the first and only officer of the IAF to be promoted to the five…

#ProjectMarut has received a wonderful response with veterans sending us historical material worthy of being archived. The Project will go a long way in collating all aspects of the IAF's history, including its structure, operations & the equipment it has used.

The Dragnet was being tightened by the IAF's attacks on an array of targets. On 14 Dec 71, following intelligence inputs pointing to a critical meeting being planned in the Govt House Dacca, the IAF launched an op that undoubtedly hastened the end of the war.

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The radar at Badin remained the focus of the IAF's attention on 13 Dec 71, while a bombing pause was put in place for Chaklala, to permit foreign nationals to depart. A similar temporary pause was also given at Tezgaon in E Pak.

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Whilst the PAF radar at Badin was struck on 12 Dec 71, the highlight of the day was Flt Lt BB Soni shooting down a PAF F-104 Starfighter over the skies of Jamnagar. This remains one of the few supersonic gun kills in the world.

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Whilst the Eastern approach to Dacca had been hastened by Heliborne ops, the Northern axis also needed to be accelerated. Once again, the prevailing air superiority over E Pak meant that airborne operations could be employed, to a Dropping Zone North of Tangail.

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Whilst more of the same continued elsewhere, by 10 Dec 71 the IAF was amidst a series of heliborne ops across the riverine terrain of E Pak. The 14 Mi-4s in-theatre were being used to hop over rivers & land troops on unprepared fields under fire & even by night.

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The IAF recently organised sports activities for Children With Special Needs, at all its bases for special wards of IAF personnel as well as those studying in AF Schools.

Organized by IAF_AFFWA to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the event witnessed…

“सेवा अस्माकम् धर्मः”

The CAS Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and all personnel of the #IAF convey their greetings & best wishes on the occasion of the #RaisingDay of the Army Service Corps.

ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY

08 Dec 71 saw the IAF changing tactics- now trying to draw out PAF fighters, with Fighter aircraft flying high to entice the enemy. Despite the marked drop in enemy air activity, Murid & Chaklala were attacked & the Oil Refinery at Attock was revisited.

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On the 9th, the focus was on the ground situation in Chhamb. Nearby PAF bases at Risalewala & Chander were therefore struck by the IAF. Airfields at Hyderabad, Nawabshah & Jacobabad were also attacked, as were those in the East where repairs had been attempted.
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Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army called on the CAS Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari in New Delhi.

Issues of mutual interest & means to further enhance cooperation between the two Armed Forces were discussed during the meeting.…

The IAF pounded PAF airfields with 22 counter air missions. Strategic targets like the oil tanks at Attock were also set ablaze by IAF Hunters. This was a red letter day for the indigenous HF-24 which shot down a Sabre in the Rajasthan sector.

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The #lAF counter air campaign continued in the West, including Kohat in the depth. Airfields put down earlier had to be kept down, degrading any attempts at repair. In the East, complete Air Superiority had been achieved. The #IAF now had a free run of the East Pakistan.…

On Day-3, a strike on the radar at Sakesar put it off the air for two days, while Hunters attacked storage hangars at Drigh Road, Karachi. Canberras also kept up the pressure by dropping 144000 Ibs of munitions on four airfields.

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The dawn of Day 2 broke with the IAF’s fighter force being unleashed on enemy airfields & radar stations. A total of 118 counter air sorties were flown in the West, with Kurmitola & Tezgaon being attacked in the East. Kilo Flt also chipped in by setting oil installations ablaze.

Following Pakistan's pre-emptive strike on 03 Dec 71, the IAF responded with its Canberras mounting 23 missions against airfields at Murid, Mianwali, Sargodha, Chander, Risalewala, Shorkot, & Masrur(Karachi) airfields, resulting in direct hits on enemy runways/installations.

The CAS Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and all personnel of the #IAF convey their greetings & best wishes on the occasion of the #RaisingDay of the Border Security Force.

BSF