2023 saw the induction of major state-of-the-art systems, weapon platforms and missiles into the Indian Air Force. The IAF also exercised with the air forces of friendly foreign nations and carried out HADR operations as well as assistance to civil authorities.
VVIP Ops by B-777 Aircraft: IAF took over independent VVIP operations on B-777 ac wef 31 Mar 23. As a milestone achievement, IAF undertook nonstop flight from Delhi to New York with full cockpit complement by IAF and further on to Washington and Cairo. In addition to the aircrew, ground handling, catering uplift and engineering support services were also independently handled by IAF.
Para Trials & Ops: ADRDE is developing HDS for C-130J and C-17 aircraft under Technology Demonstration mode. Post CEMILAC certification and fitment trials, out of total eight trials sorties approved for HDS (12 Ft Platform), seventh HDS trial was conducted on 17 Oct 23 at Mahajan Field Firing Range (MFFR). Trial was successful and load landed safely at the designated landing point.
ADR & CRCC Trials from C-17 ac: Flight trials for Single/Twin ADR (Air Droppable Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) and CRRC (Combat Rubberised Raiding Craft) were successfully completed on C-17 ac in the month of Sep 23, in coordination with Indian Navy and ISRO (Toroidal Buoy Equipment).
Akash Missile System: Three squadrons of Akash missile system, employing advanced Rajendra Mk-II radars has been commissioned in the last one year. Additional Akash Sqns are likely to be inducted by Dec 23.
HERON MKII: Heron Mk II RPA has been inducted and operationalised in Indian Air Force. The system is capable of undertaking SATCOM based operations along with advanced sensors and avionics suite. The payload is more capable and can locate targets in depth in enemy territory. The induction has boosted the IAF’s capability to undertake ISR missions beyond Line of sight ranges at higher altitude of operations.
Bison (MiG 21 Upgrade) Drawdown Plan: The drawdown plan has been approved and re-equipping of one operational squadron having this ac, with Su-30 MKI has commenced. Re-equipping of one more squadron with the ingenious Tejas LCA MK-IA, has been announced.
Integration of Weapons: The New Generation Close Combat Missile was fired for the first time this year. Long Range SCALP missiles were also fired and validated. Apache Attack Heptrs also carried out successful firing of Stinger Msl against an airborne slow moving target. IAF is working towards induction of indigenous Astra entire long range BVR missile, which is likely to commence shortly.
Long Range Mission: Long Range Missions were undertaken deep into the IOR. These missions were flown along multiple axes to cover the IAF’s area of interest to control the sea and dominate the air space.
Training and Exercises
The IAF continued to train hard this year exercising not only with sister services for enhancing jointness, but also with Air Forces of friendly foreign countries. Listed below are a few:
Ex Veer Guardian-23: Held in the period 12-27 Jan 23, this was the first air exercise between India and Japan.
Ex PASSEX with France: On 29 Jan 23, the IAF conducted ‘Ex PASSEX’ with French fighter aircraft sailing onboard the aircraft carrier ‘Charles De Gaulle’ in the IOR.
Ex Desert Flag-8 in UAE: IAF participated in ‘Ex Desert Flag-8’ in Al-Dhafra, UAE from 24 Feb-20 Mar 23. This was the first ever participation by the Tejas in an international air exercise.
Ex Cobra Warrior-23: IAF participated in multinational Air Exercise ‘Ex Cobra Warrior-23’ in UK from 06-24 Mar 23. This exercise saw IAF aircraft staging through Saudi Arabia for the first time.
Ex Cope India-23: The USAF and the IAF participated in ‘Ex Cope India-23’ at AFS Kalaikunda (fighters) and Panagarh (transport aircraft) from 10-21 Apr 23. The Japan Air & Self Defence Force participated with one observer.
Ex Orion-23: IAF participated in multinational exercise ‘Ex Orion-23’ in France from 17 Apr – 05 May 23. The exercise saw the IAF’s Rafale aircraft ferrying directly from France to India.
Ex INIOCHOS-23: IAF participated in a multinational exercise ‘Ex Iniochos-23’ in Greece from 24 Apr – 05 May 23. This was the first Air Exercise between India and Greece.
Ex Bright Star-23. IAF took part in Ex Bright Star-23 with Egypt from 27 Aug -16 Sep 23. The IAF’s MiG-29 fighters ferried directly from India to Egypt.
Integrated Exercises and Joint Training
The following training exercises were conducted with sister services, aimed at increasing joint capabilities:-
Ex Kranti Mahotsav from 08 May 23 to 10 May 23 with 01 MLH.
Exercise Ex Chakra Drishti-23 from 10 May 23 to 12 May 23 with Fighter, RPA and AEW&C.
IAF participated in EWT of 33 Armd, 16 Rapid, 6(I) Armd Bde and 47 Engr Bde from 08 May 23 to 27 May 23 wherein IAF’s Helicopters operated along with IA.
Exercise Western Command Theatre Spl Ops validation from 10 to 25 May 23 and Helicopters along with Transport aircraft. It also witnessed RPA and fighter operations.
Exercise 2 Corps EWT on 23 – 24 May 23 with Su-30MKI.
Exercise Long range Maritime strike over Western seaboard on 02 Jun 23 with fighters, transport and AWACS.
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
International HADR Ops.
Op Dost – HADR at Turkiye and Syria: The Middle East nation of Turkiye and adjoining Syria were struck by a catastrophic earthquake on the morning of 6 Feb 23. The IAF was immediately alerted and a prompt aid and assistance was launched under ‘Operation Dost’. The first C-17 aircraft got airborne from Hindan for Adana, Turkiye at the midnight of 7 Feb 23. Subsequently, four more C-17 aircraft followed suite, while one C-130J aircraft was tasked with 5.8 tons of medical load to Damascus, Syria. The operations continued with the final de-induction on 20 Feb 23. The IAF transport fleet flew 28 sorties (188 hrs) and carried 307 tons of load, of which 278 tons load was airlifted for Turkey and 29 T for Syria.
Op Kaveri – HADR at Sudan: The break out of hostilities between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Force (RSF) in Sudan had resulted in stranding of approximately 4000 Indian nationals and PIOs. On extremely short notice, IAF air operations towards evacuation of Indian diaspora commenced on 19 Apr 23. C-130J and C-17 were tasked for the ops with Garud SF teams onboard, in the event of special ops if required. Initial rescue missions were flown from Jeddah to Port Sudan. Subsequently, on 27 Apr 23, in a daring night operation, IAF aircraft rescued 121 Indians from a small airstrip at Wadi Seyidna airport. While the crew used Electro Optical-Infra Red to evade obstructions and inimical forces, ERO (Engine Running Ops) plan was carried out when Garud commandos operated on ground. The total flying effort by the IAF was 22 sorties (115 hrs), airlifting 2100 passengers from Sudan to Jeddah and 915 passengers from Jeddah to India, in addition to 58 tons of critical load.
Op Ajay (Israel – Hamas Conflict): Towards Op Ajay, first IAF C-17 aircraft was launched on 22 Oct 23 in support of Palestinian citizens affected by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. IAF C-17 airlifted 6.5 tons of medical relief items and 32 tons of disaster relief material including essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities and water purification tablets among other necessary items. The medical relief was delivered at Al-Arish, Egypt to the Red Crescent, for onward distribution in Gaza.
HADR Ops – Nepal: On 03 Nov 23, a devastating earthquake struck Nepal, resulting in heavy loss of life and property. Relief aid was planned to be inducted close to the affected areas in Nepal, resulting in operations on short runway airfields like Nepalganj. IAF C-130J aircraft inducted NDRF relief equipment and HLL medicinal payload at Nepalganj on 5-6 Nov 23. As a first responder, essential medical cum hygiene supplies, tents, and other relief materials were provided for earthquake affected families. The IAF C-130J aircraft undertook day/ night operations at Nepalganj, and flew 02 sorties, airlifting 21 tons of relief load.
Domestic HADR Operations
HADR Ops – UT of Ladakh: In Feb 23, IAF heptrs served as a vital link in the UT of Ladakh when the roads saw a heavy blockage due to snow activity. Heptrs sprang into operations on 15 Feb 23 for airlift of stranded passengers from Zanskar to Leh. The task was carried out by Chinook and MI-17 1V helicopters wherein 200 passengers were airlifted.
Disaster Relief Ops (Forest Fire) at Goa: On 08 Mar 23 Govt of Goa requested IAF to provide aid towards dousing forest fires at far flung areas in the state. Mi-17 V5 helicopters deployed for the task undertook massive ops. In 20 sorties, the heptrs dispensed 1, 40,000 litres of water by 14 Mar 23.
Disaster Relief Ops (Forest Fire) at Tamil Nadu: On 15 Apr 23, Govt of Tamil Nadu requested IAF effort towards dousing forest fire in Madukkarai range of Coimbatore (Tamilnadu). MI-17 V5 helicopter deployed for the ops dispensed 22, 450 litres of water on 16 Apr 23.
Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Himachal Pradesh: In response to damages caused by monsoon triggered cloud bursts, flash floods and landslides in Himachal, IAF deployed Mi-17 V5 and Cheetal helicopters. Rescue ops were carried out in Chandratall and Samundar Tapu Axis. IAF inserted disaster relief crew and air dropped ration, medicines and essential supplies. The relief operations which started on 11 Jul 23 continued till 30 Sep 23. 68 tons of relief material and 1355 citizens were airlifted in 275 sorties (138 hrs).
Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Ambala: In the second week of Jul 23, several villages around Ambala (Punjab) were affected by severe floods. From 14 to 17 Jul 23, one Mi-17 helicopter was tasked towards disaster relief operation, which carried out airdrop of critical sustenance ration to the affected citizens. 10 sorties were flown airlifting 10 tons of relief material and 14 personnel.
Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Yavatmal: On 22 Jul 23, one MI-17 V5 helicopter was launched from Raipur, which undertook five sorties towards rescue of villagers marooned in Yavatmal village of Maharashtra.
Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Telangana: From 27 to 30 Jul 23, two Chetak helicopters were deployed at Warangal for flood relief operations. While the heptrs rescued seven personnel, 25 sorties (22 hrs) were flown towards the ops.
Disaster Relief Ops (Flood Relief) at Sikkim: Several districts of Sikkim were severely affected by the flash floods on 4 Oct 23. HADR operation centre was set up at Bagdogra. Helicopter were positioned as per the requirement projected by the State Govt. IAF deployed helicopters from almost all the fleets, including Chinook to undertake the disaster relief. The IAF helicopters undertook 287 sorties (125 hrs), airlifting 205 tons of load. 3027 personnel were evacuated by the helicopters, which included foreign nationals from Thailand, Belgium, Russia, Bangladesh and America.
Tunnel Rescue Ops at Uttarakhand: A portion of the under construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand collapsed on 12 Nov 23 trapping 41 construction workers. On 15 Nov 23, IAF deployed three C-130J aircraft to airlift 27.5 tonnes of critical heavy equipment, rescue loads and rescue experts to Dharasu ALG that was not in use since 2013. Between 17 and27 Nov 23, heavy Augur machinery from Indore, DRDO robots from Pune and drill bit and metal wire load from Mumbai were airlifted to Dehradun. On 29 Nov 23, Chinook helicopter airlifted all 41 rescued workers to AIIMS Rishikesh. The tasks were successfully carried out with minimal notice utilising C-130, C-17, Dornier, AN-32 and Chinook. The IAF aircraft operated over 79 hours lifting 104 tons of load.
Nation Building & Internal Security
Manipur situation: On the directions from MoD, IAF deployed its transport and helicopter assets towards airlift and deployment of CRPF, BSF, Indian Army and Assam rifles teams with load from Hindan, Ranchi, Kolkata, Agartala, Kumbhigram, Guwahati and Mohanbari to Imphal to assist in containing the situation in Manipur. The ops by IAF which started on 23 May 23 continued till 25 Sep 23. 10,120 troops and 652 tons of relief material were airlifted in 605 sorties (399 hrs).
Haryana situation: IAF deployed C-130, C-17 and IL-76 aircraft for airlift and deployment of CRPF and RAF troops to contain the situation in Nuh, Haryana. Overnight operations (18 sorties/18.5 hrs) achieved airlift and deployment of 824 troops (with 58 tons load) from Jammu, Prayagraj and Hindan.
G-20 Task: IAF helicopters were extensively utilised for various operational tasks towards G-20 summit in September. The assets were utilised for ORP duties, DIADC duty, CASEVAC / Emergency response and NSG tasks.
Elections-Chhattisgarh: IAF was tasked to provide air effort to the election officials during the Chhattisgarh assembly elections held in November. IAF Mi-17 helicopters carried out 404 sorties amounting to 194 hrs of air effort. 1,707 personnel and 15 tons of load including polling parties and EVMs were airlifted.
PM Kedarnath Redevelopment Project: Since 31 Oct 22, IAF has tasked one Chinook helicopter on regular operations towards “PM Kedarnath redevelopment project”. Till 31 Mar 23, under slung operations could result in airlift of 575 tons of load against the initial projected load of 500 tons. As on 12 Nov 23, 866 tons had been airlifted towards the project.
RLV Trials: IAF provided its helicopters to progress the scientific cause of ISRO. Chinook heptr flew 25 sorties towards ISRO RLV trials at Chitradurga for testing of load in under slung mode on 02 Apr 23.
Digitisation
Dedication of e-MMS: In line with the Government’s initiatives for digital transformation, IAF has migrated to digital workflows for recording of maintenance activities through e-Maintenance Management System. All maintenance activities of the IAF have been declared paperless by the Raksha Mantri in February during Aero India 2023. The IAF is also progressing cases for implementing e-MMS for nine fleets from the Indian Army, Navy & Coast Guard.
Digitisation of THD-1955 Radar: THD-1955 radar has been the main stay AD Radar in IAF since 1976. To meet the operational commitment, the THD-1955 radar fleet is planned to be utilised in service till 2035. Presently, due to ageing of the fleet, obsolescence and depleting vendor supports, THD-1955 radar fleet is facing significant challenges towards its maintenance and sustenance for operations. To address these issue, BEL has come up with a proposal to digitise the Receiver and Transmitter cabinets along with upgrade of IFF systems of radar.
Bio-jet Fuel Trials on Do-228 Aircraft: Post successful completion of ground run and test flight, RCMA (Kanpur) accorded FCN for Biojet fuel trials on 21 Sep 23. The first sortie for two hrs with 10% blended fuel on one engine was successfully flown on 22 Sep 23. Two sorties with 10% blended fuel on both engines was flown for four hrs on 26 Sep 23. Third sortie was flown on 27 Sep 23. The trials on Do-228 aircraft using 10:90 admixtures of Bio-jet fuel with ATF were successfully completed at 5 BRD on 28 Sep 23. Additional 6,000 Ltrs of Bio-jet fuel is under procurement which would be used in next phase of trials.
Development of Airfield at Nyoma, Ladakh: To enhance the operational reach of IAF in the Northern Sector, Government sanction to develop a new Air Base at a cost of ₹219.39 Crore was accorded in March 2023. e-Shilanyas of the airfield was performed by RM on 12 Sep 23 from Jammu. Construction of runway is in progress and the works services are planned to be completed by April 2025.
Real Time Aircraft Tracking System (RTATS). The feasibility of RTATS with the help of equipment provided by ISRO, using Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) satellites is reaching fructification. Series modification on AN-32 will start soon. While trials on MLH are underway later to be followed by AVRO & Do-228 in due course.
