Unknown Facts About Indian Airforce(IAF) That You Must Know

Hello aspirants,

We see the might of our armed forces very well, and their tale of valour not only motivates us but fills our heart with pride. In this post, we will see some of the exciting and not very known facts about our IAF. This post will not only give you some of the points but will help you in GD or in any discussion with your friends and will reflect your in-depth knowledge. Fasten your seat belts!

1. King George VI conferred the prefix “Royal” in 1945. In 1950, when India became a republic, the name was dropped. The IAF was referred to as the Royal Indian Air Force from 1945 to 1950.
2. The first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Marshal Sir Thomas Walker Elmhirst, made the IAF an independent service under no control of the Army.
3. The logo of the IAF has been changed four times since 1933.
4. Its motto Nabha Sparsham Deeptham is taken from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
5. At its peak, IAF operated about 224 squadrons.
6. The IAF destroyed more than 29 Pakistani tanks, 40 APCs and a railway train during the Battle of Longewala in the 1971 Indo-Pak War besides some critical installations.
7. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is the only IAF officer to have been honoured with the Param Vir Chakra his act of gallantry in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
8. The IAF was technologically inferior to the PAF in 1965 but But our brave and skilled officer flying  IAF Gnat shot Pakistani Sabres with such accuracy that the Gnats came to known as ‘Sabre Slayers’.
9. Arjan Singh was the only air force officer with 5-star rank. The honorary rank of Marshal of the Indian Air Force is the highest possible rank and is equivalent to the position of Field Marshal of the Indian Army.
10. The IAF got its first woman Air Marshal in the form of Padmavathy Bandopadhyay. She was the Director General Medical Services (Air) at the Air Headquarters.
11. At 22,000 ft (or 6,706 m), Siachen Glacier AFS is the highest Air Force Station of the IAF.
12. The Western Air Command is the largest Air Command with 16 air bases, and the smallest is the Central Air Command with 7 bases.
13. The IAF has the base in foreign countries as well namely in Farkhor, Tajikistan. Its only base outside India.
14. The IAF is the only air force that operates C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules, and Il-76 – the three largest transport aircraft.
15. The IAF created a world record by performing the highest landing of a C-130J at the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip in Ladakh at the height of 16614 feet (5065 meters).
16. The IAF engaged in conflict outside the country in 1960 when Belgium’s 75-year rule over Congo ended abruptly.
17. Operation Rahat was the most prominent civilian rescue operation in the world carried out by any air force using helicopters. The IAF airlifted a total of 19,600 people – flying a total of 2,140 sorties and dropping/landing a total of 3,82,400 kg of relief material and equipment during flooding in northern India in 2013.
18. IAF transport aircraft airlifted hundreds of Indian troops to secure the Siachen glacier during 1984 Operation Meghdoot.
19. The IAF manages Air Force Network (AFNet)-Air Force Network is a state-of-the-art, fully secure and reliable network (Intranet) and gigabyte digital information grid.

20. The Garud Commando Force, the special forces of IAF, has the longest training course among all other classes of special forces in India.

I hope you aspirants enjoyed reading this article.

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JAI HIND

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