Indian Air Force Day

Tags: Important Days

8 October is Indian Air Force day. Indian Air Force was raised on October 8, 1932, and it is completing 90 years 8 October, 2022.

Important facts

• This time Air Force Day flypast was done over Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh.

• Historically for the first time, the Air Force Day parades and fly-pasts have been taken out of the National Capital Region by the Indian Air Force.

• President Draupadi Murmu and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were present on this occasion.

• This time 75 aircraft participated in the flypast, while 9 aircraft were put on standby mode.

• The Light Combat Helicopter LCH which was recently inducted into the Indian Air Force displayed its air capabilities in the sky at Sukhna Lake.

• Tejas, Sukhoi, MiG-29, Jaguar, Rafale and Hawk were also part of the flypast.

About Indian Air Force

• It was officially established on 8 October 1932. 

• It is the air wing of the Indian Armed Forces whose primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and conduct aerial activities during armed conflicts.

• Over 170,000 personnel are serving in the Indian Air Force.

• It ranks as the fourth largest operational air force in the world.

• The motto of the Indian Air Force is 'Touch the Sky with Glory' and was taken from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.

• After independence, it participated in four wars with Pakistan and one war with the People's Republic of China.

• It works with the United Nations’ peacekeeping missions.

• It participated in relief operations during natural calamities like the Gujarat cyclone in 1998, the tsunami in 2004 and the floods in North India.