The modern philosophy of warfare is one of a total war. The only guiding principle is that once war is declared, victory must be achieved at any cost. The sovereignty is the most cherished possession of every modern state. The development and evolution of the art of flying was one of the few great innovations in military history since the first use of gun-powder over six centuries ago. The epic of flight is perhaps the most romantic history of human capabilities and man’s brilliant innovations. The present progress in the development of aviation is a result of much pioneering work, scientific evolution and the silent wars of competition waged in the race for armament and armed might.

The 1914-18 War demonstrated the offensive characteristics of the aeroplane with its speed and manoeuverability and the effectiveness of its penetration deep into the enemy territory. The period intervening the two world wars saw considerable progress in the design and armament of military aircraft and in the organisation of the modern air forces of the world.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) began its journey as an offshoot of the British Air Force system in 1933. The actual history of IAF dates back to June 1926 when the Skeen Committee was appointed to report on the possibility of Indianising the Armed Services. Among the Committee members was Pandit Motilal Nehru. It was in 1932 that the IAF Act was passed. April 1, 1933 is officially recognised as the date of advent of IAF. It was on this historic date that the first flight of the Indian Air Force took off at Karachi with four Wapiti aircraft, and a small family of airmen. The expansion of IAF during 1934-1938 was painfully a slow process and for a number of years, only a couple of officers were selected by the Federal Public Service Commission to proceed to England for flying training before joining the IAF. Under the then prevalent conditions, punitive action against North-West Frontier hostile raiders was almost a regular routine task for this small force besides the normal army co-operation air detachments throughout the length and breadth of the country. The year 1938 saw the formation of ‘No 1 Squadron’ of the IAF. Yet, the next important step in the development of IAF came in 1939 when plans had to be drawn up for rapid expansion to meet the impending emergency requirements. The only squadron of India’s little Air Force participated in the war with the meagre strength of a few dozen officers and a few hundred airmen. Aircraft and spares allotted to Indians were few and far between. IAF pilots were hereafter to be trained in India at Lahore (now in Pakistan), Risalpur, Hyderabad and Jodhpur.

For further expansion, five Volunteer Reserve Flights were raised on a modest scale at Karachi, Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, and Cochin and a sixth was formed later at Visakhapatnam in 1940. These flights did excellent work in keeping vigilance over the coasts of India during the earlier part of the war. The aircraft used by the IAF in the North-West Frontier of India and on the coasts were of obsolescent type but excellent experience was earned by pilots and airmen in long-range movements, administration, planning and tactical co-operation with civil, military and naval forces. With the impetus provided by the progression of the war, a total of three squadrons were formed in 1941 with a new type of aircraft, Lysander, joining in for the Army co-operation role.

In December 1941, Japan declared war and within six days of the declaration, No 1 Squadron and two coast defence flights were detailed to proceed to Burma for operations. By the end of 1942, the IAF’s strength rose to seven squadrons which included two squadrons of Vengeance dive-Bombers and three of Hurricane Fighter Bombers which did excellent work in the war. The year 1943 saw Harvard trainer aircraft in operation. Spitfires were introduced in the service in 1944.

In 1945, the Indian Air Force was re-designated Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF). By this time, the existing squadrons had proved their mettle in the operations in the Imphal and Arakan sectors. In the same year, Tempest aircraft were introduced in the Royal Indian Air Force. By the time the war ended, the Royal Indian Air Force had nine squadrons with an additional transport squadron in the offing. A large number of training units were set up to meet the demands of the war. The RIAF had fought side by side with some of the best equipped and trained crew of England and America but this small Air Force had certain inherent limitations which rendered the force completely unbalanced with the departure of the Allied Air Force from India.

In the building up of RIAF during war-time, no provision was made for transport and bomber aircraft. The industrial resources of the country were falling short of the required level. These, amongst others, were the bottlenecks that faced the RIAF during 1947. With the Partition of the country, the strength of the Air Force was reduced to seven fighter and one transport squadrons. But with independence, the Air Force saw the most important change. It became an independent force of an independent nation with its own Commander-in-Chief.

In 1948, nearly a year after the Partition, concerted efforts towards reorganisation of the then RIAF were made. With the timely sanction of the government, Liberator Bombers were introduced in 1948 and Jet Vampires in 1949. Later, in the process of reorganisation, the operational and training groups were re-designated functionally independent commands. Air Force Academies were established to impart training to the Air Force pilots at Ambala and Jodhpur. A school was established for the training of navigators at Jodhpur Academy. The Ground Training Schools were reorganised and a Technical Training College was established in the South for the new cadre of technical officers. Later, in 1951, the first Flight Signallers’ School was started at Jodhpur.

Here, it would be worthwhile to recall the splendid role played by IAF in the tragic events that followed the partition. The IAF flew out refugees from isolated places in Pakistan and dropped ration, cooked-food and other necessities of life to the great mass of humanity on the march. Then came the operations against the aggression of the raiders in Kashmir. The day after the Kashmir accession to the Indian Dominion, the first contingent of troops was flown into Srinagar. In Kashmir, the IAF regularly and actively attacked raiders’ concentrations, dropped supplies to the isolated garrisons and provided valuable and prompt support to our ground troops. In fulfillment of their task, aircrew had to carry out novel and hazardous operations such as landing on an improvised airstrip at a height of over 12,000 feet without proper oxygen and breathing facilities, airlifting thousands of refugees from the beleagured garrisons at Poonch, night operations over limited airfields in hilly terrain etc., a few deeds that have made history in Kashmir. The IAF also provided timely support to the police actions aimed at integrating Junagadh and Hyderabad.

When India became Republic on January 26, 1950, the then RIAF was re-designated Indian Air Force (IAF). The next two years were crucial years for the IAF organisation as a front-line force of the country’s defence. There were glaring deficiencies which had to be met on priority in spite of severe financial constraints and heavy commitments imposed by priority sectors like agriculture, industry, health, education etc. Additional bomber and fighter units were established to stabilise the front line requirements. Air Marshal Sir Ronald Ivelaw Chapman in his message of the 1951 Air Force Day said: On looking back on the past year, I think we can be fairly satisfied with the progress that the Indian Air Force has made during the eighteen years of its existence.

The air power will remain the vital link in the over-all strategy of any country. The Indian Air Force has been constantly striving for more strength and stability which will render it reasonably capable of standing up to any threat of aggression, while at the same time being able to carry out training roles and the humanitarian tasks of rescue, relief and emergency requirements of peace. It is a matter of satisfaction that the IAF is coming up to national expectations. Today, the IAF can boast of itself to be second to none in the world. In terms of training, techniques, technology, maintenance or any other dimension, the IAF can match the best.

Every time the force participated in any operation, it came out sturdier and stronger. So far, IAF had participated in 1962, 1965, 1971 wars and more recently in Kargil conflict and many other rescue and emergency operations within the country. Operation Safed Sagar was indeed a milestone in the history of military aviation as this was the first time that air power was employed in such a hostile environment. The IAF employed unique innovative tactics to defeat enemy designs. The IAF technicians ensured high level of serviceability of aircraft and associated defence systems while logistics and other support personnel spared no efforts in sustaining operations at peak levels. The Kargil conflict provided the force an opportunity to demonstrate that its operational cohesiveness and combat capability are of the state-of-the-art level. The force redeemed the trust reposed in it by the nation.