Indian Air Force
Aerial service branch of the Indian Armed Forces
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| April 9 2025 | A report claimed MRFA would be a government-to-government deal for 114 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force, with negotiations to begin soon. The same day, the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared procurement of 26 Rafale-M jets for the Navy. |
| 2025 | 1 Antonov An-32 aircraft was lost. |
| 2025 | 1 Dassault Mirage 2000 aircraft was lost. |
| 2025 | DRDO and HAL are actively developing multiple advanced aircraft for the Indian Air Force, including the Tejas Mk 2, AMCA (5th generation aircraft), and several unmanned combat systems. |
| March 2025 | The Empowered Committee for Capability Enhancement of IAF recommended the MRFA acquisition programme. |
| March 3 2025 | The Empowered Committee for Capability Enhancement of IAF submitted its report to the Ministry of Defence, recommending private sector involvement in defense and aerospace sectors. |
| February 14 2025 | Multiple reports suggested the Indian Air Force will seek bids for the MRFA tender, with companies preparing blueprints, scouting local production partners, and re-evaluating cost-effectiveness. |
| February 2025 | A high-level committee was constituted to streamline the production of indigenous light combat aircraft and enhance the role of the private sector in fighter jet manufacturing. |
| 2024 | The Comptroller and Auditor General published a report during the Parliament Winter Session highlighting significant pilot training deficiencies in the Indian Air Force. |
| 2024 | 8 MQ-9 Reaper surveillance and combat UAVs are on order to modernize the Indian Air Force's unmanned aerial vehicle fleet. |
| 2024 | The Comptroller and Auditor General published a report highlighting significant deficiencies in pilot training, noting a pilot deficit of 596 by 2021. |
| 2024 | Parliamentary session revealed significant pilot training deficiencies, with the IAF having a deficit of 596 combat pilots by 2021 and challenges in trainer aircraft procurement. |
| 2024 | First prototype of the Tejas Mk 2 is expected to be rolled out by the end of the year. |
| 2024 | Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari stated that the IAF has revised its existing doctrine and recognized space as a critical domain for future operations. |
| 2024 | Over 50 Kadet Loitering Aerial Munitions are on order, developed by DRDO and KDS. |
| 2024 | Plans to replace 56 Hawker Siddeley HS 748 tactical airlifters with 50 Airbus C-295 aircraft are underway. |
| 2024 | Sukhoi Su-30MKI fleet expansion continues with 12 more aircraft on order. |
| 2024 | Indian Air Force plans to acquire 73 HAL Tejas Mk.1A multirole fighters, with an additional 97 fighters approved for procurement. |
| 2024 | Plans to acquire 50 more HAL Rudra attack helicopters are in progress. |
| 2024 | HAL plans to complete development of a full family of unmanned aircraft by the end of 2024–25, in collaboration with DRDO for the Indian Air Force's unmanned combat system. |
| 2024 | Central Cabinet Committee (CCS) cleared an order for 240 Sudarshan CIWS guns for the Indian Air Force. |
| December 23 2024 | The Ministry of Defence formed a high-level committee chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh to propose a new Road Map addressing the Indian Air Force's critical capability gaps. |
| December 17 2024 | A parliamentary panel report revealed that the Indian Air Force has only 31 squadrons against a minimal requirement of 42 squadrons, highlighting significant fleet strength shortages. |
| October 2024 | Saab offered to deliver the first Gripen aircraft within 3 years of contract award and proposed full technology transfer. |
| October 29 2024 | Asian News International reported the Indian Government's plans to release an open multi-vendor tender for 114 4.5 generation jet fighters to be manufactured in India. |
| October 15 2024 | Final deal signed for 8 General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned aerial vehicles from the United States for surveillance and combat purposes. |
| September 10 2024 | Lockheed Martin announced a partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for C-130J production. |
| August 31 2024 | Deadline for signing an unspecified agreement or contract related to the Indian Air Force. |
| July 2024 | Space startup Pixxel announced plans to supply miniaturised multi-payload satellites to the IAF by 2025 for monitoring goals. |
| March 2024 | Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan announced an allocation of Rs 25,000 crore for defence space requirements, including building a constellation of surveillance satellites. |
| March 15 2024 | The United States sent a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) to the Indian Ministry of Defence for a deal to supply 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, with the allocation being 15 for the Navy, 8 for the Army, and 8 for the Air Force. The document is awaiting final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). |
| March 1 2024 | Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro to replace the Indian Air Force's long-range radars with advanced High-Performance Radars (HPRs). These new phased array-based radars will enhance surveillance capabilities and improve terrestrial air defence by detecting small radar cross section targets. |
| February 22 2024 | Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the procurement of High Power Radars (HPRs) for the Indian Air Force, which will replace the existing THD-1955 3-D radars with new radars having a maximum range of 600 km |
| February 9 2024 | Embraer signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mahindra Defence Systems to bid for the Medium Transport Aircraft tender. |
| 2023 | Indian Air Force continues to expand its fleet with orders for additional aircraft, including 73 HAL Tejas Mk.1A multirole fighters and 8 MQ-9 Reaper drones. |
| 2023 | The Indian Air Force (IAF) submitted a proposal to rename itself as the Indian Air and Space Force (IASF), aiming to expand its role in space-related activities and collaborate with organizations like ISRO and IN-SPACe. |
| 2023 | The IAF began training personnel to operate in space by incorporating theoretical studies at institutions such as the College of Air Warfare. |
| 2023 | The IAF is exploring procurement of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), a space plane being developed by ISRO. |
| November 30 2023 | Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurement of additional 97 Tejas Mk 1A aircraft from HAL under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category. |
| May 8 2023 | Indian Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh officially inaugurated the Indian Air Force Heritage Museum in Chandigarh, located in Sector 18, spanning 15,600 square feet and showcasing decommissioned aircraft and military history. |
| 2022 | Indian Air Force introduced 10 HAL Prachand attack helicopters, with 66 more on order, demonstrating continued modernization of its helicopter fleet. |
| 2022 | DRDO expected to bring Akash-NG surface-to-air missile into service, providing a cost-effective alternative to the Barak 8 missile system with capabilities to neutralize fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles, and ballistic missiles. |
| 2022 | Expected first flight of HAL ALFA-S autonomous swarm drones, developed in collaboration with a private Bangalore firm as part of the Combat Air Teaming System project. |
| December 2022 | Indian Air Force issued a Request for Information (RFI) for Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme, seeking proposals for 40-80 transport aircraft from manufacturers like Embraer, Lockheed Martin, and Airbus. |
| August 2022 | Expected commencement of deliveries for the six HAL Light Utility Helicopters ordered in March 2021. |
| June 1 2022 | No. 143 Helicopter Unit (Dhanush) was first activated in South Western Air Command at Jodhpur AFS, Rajasthan, equipped with Prachand helicopters. |
| May 2022 | Abhilasha Barak became the first woman combat aviator in the Indian Army, marking a significant milestone for women in military aviation. |
| May 30 2022 | Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma and his daughter Flying Officer Ananya Sharma made aviation history by flying together in the same Hawk-132 aircraft formation at Air Force Station Bidar, with Sanjay commissioned in 1989 and Ananya inducted in 2021. |
| 2021 | Continued phasing out of older MiG-21 Bison interceptors, with only 40 remaining in service. |
| 2021 | First order of Sudarshan CIWS (Close-in weapon system) cleared for Indian Army. |
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles List of active Indian military aircraft, Indian MRCA competition, Bidar Air Force Station, Indian Air Force, List of active Indian Air Force aircraft squadrons, Air Force Network, Indian Air Force Heritage Museum, Chandigarh & Future of the Indian Air Force, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.