Indian Air Force (IAF)
Indian air service — 1,700+ aircraft; HAL/BEL/BDL/TASL key customers.
Last verified:
At a Glance
- Headquarters
- New Delhi, India
- Type
- Service (Government of India)
- Founded
- 1932 (as RIAF; 1950 as IAF)
- India entity
- Indian Air Force, MoD
- Listed
- Not applicable (government service)
- Key India role
- The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces, established 8 October 1932. The IAF operates over 1,700 aircraft including Su-30MKI, MiG-29, Mirage 2000, Rafale, LCA Tejas, and Jaguar
- indicators
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- key specs
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What It Is
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces, established 8 October 1932. The IAF operates over 1,700 aircraft including Su-30MKI, MiG-29, Mirage 2000, Rafale, LCA Tejas, and Jaguar fighters; C-17, C-130J, IL-76, and An-32 transports; AH-64E Apache, Mi-17, CH-47F Chinook, and ALH Dhruv helicopters. The IAF also operates IAI Heron and Searcher UAVs, DRDO Tapas-BH, and is the lead service for the MQ-9B Predator-B procurement (16 of 31 aircraft). The IAF is a key customer for HAL, BEL, BDL, and TASL products.
Deployments & Procurement
2 documented India deployment(s)/procurement(s).
| Agency | Context | Year | Quantity / Note | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balakot airstrike | Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Rafale operations | 2019 | Combat use | [1][2] |
| Operation Sindoor | Rafale, Su-30MKI operations | 2025 | Combat use | [1][2] |
Open Questions
- What is the IAF's planned squadron strength by 2030?
- How many MQ-9B Predator-B aircraft will the IAF receive from the 31-aircraft deal?
Import Dependencies
Not analysed in this dossier.
Sources
- src-01IndicativeIndian Air Force — official site
IAF official website [Domain root only; demoted to indicative per Atlas source-quality rule.]
- src-02CredibleIAF aircraft inventory — International Institute for Strategic Studies
IISS Military Balance — IAF inventory
- src-03CredibleIAF Rafale induction — The Hindu
Coverage of IAF Rafale induction