Today is Indian Air Force Day

Indian Air Force was raised on October 8, 1932, and it is completing 90 years today. The day and its observance is a matter of pride for Indians and inspires a patriotic zeal among the citizenry for the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces.

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Indian Air Force was raised on October 8, 1932, and it is completing 90 years today. The day and its observance is a matter of pride for Indians and inspires a patriotic zeal among the citizenry for the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-chief of the IAF. This time Air Force Day flypast is scheduled to take place over Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh this afternoon.

Indian Air force has participated in several crucial wars and landmark missions. It was officially established as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India’s aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal. After India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of Dominion of India. With the government’s transition to a Republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.

The IAF also played important roles during the Congo Crisis (1960-1966) and the Annexation of Goa (1961), the Second Kashmir War (1965), the Bangladesh Liberation War (1971), the Kargil War (1999), and the Balakot airstrike and the India-Pakistan standoff of 2019.