Indian Air Force News & Discussion - 23 March 2021

[rkirankr]

One of the best interviews.

We are paperless air force | Wing Commander Amit Sathe | Col Kaushal & Kaushy

[uddu]

India should not Ignore the Lead in Flight Trainers

This is a video on why India should not Ignore the Lead in Flight Trainers

[Rakesh]

This is a video on India should not Ignore the Lead in Flight Trainers

Please edit your post and put the description of the video. I have edited it for now from the YT link, but for next time...please provide your own summary.

[uddu]

https://x.com/DefenceDecode/status/1986768058338455604

[uddu]

This is a video on India should not Ignore the Lead in Flight Trainers

Please edit your post and put the description of the video. I have edited it for now from the YT link, but for next time...please provide your own summary.

To Defence Matrix and other channels, if you guys are reading this. Please add a small description to the video since the content creators are best known to understand the topic they are posting. Will be of help. Rakeshji, I will try to add it, but not a promise. I would request that these kind of criteria is done away with else, one will choose to avoid posting rather than spend time in writing description for many such videos online. Very few journalists add description to their videos. Bharat Shakti do that. I have not seen youngsters do it.

[drnayar]

Please edit your post and put the description of the video. I have edited it for now from the YT link, but for next time...please provide your own summary.

To Defence Matrix and other channels, if you guys are reading this. Please add a small description to the video since the content creators are best known to understand the topic they are posting. Will be of help. Rakeshji, I will try to add it, but not a promise. I would request that these kind of criteria is done away with else, one will choose to avoid posting rather than spend time in writing description for many such videos online. Very few journalists add description to their videos. Bharat Shakti do that. I have not seen youngsters do it.

Youtube videos come with AI summaries.. you could use that.

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/idrwalerts/status/1987130 ... 78246?s=20 ---> Both the Dassault Mirage 2000 and the HAL Tejas are examples of delta wing configurations, but they are different types of delta wings. Mirage 2000 has Simple Delta Wing (or Cropped Delta Wing). While Tejas features a Tailless Compound Delta Wing . This aerodynamic design combines a simple delta wing with additional control surfaces and sweep angles to enhance maneuverability, lift, and stability without requiring a horizontal tailplane.

[Rakesh]

VIDEO: https://x.com/akki_bauer22_/status/1987 ... 39810?s=20 ---> BREAKING NEWS: Def Min Rajnath Singh confirms India will pursue more S-400 if they are available . Also says India will make its own jet engines within a year… hinting at Safran-DRDO jet engine co-development having made lot of progress and reaching CCS soon.

[ashthor]

VIDEO: https://x.com/akki_bauer22_/status/1987 ... 39810?s=20 ---> BREAKING NEWS: Def Min Rajnath Singh confirms India will pursue more S-400 if they are available . Also says India will make its own jet engines within a year… hinting at Safran-DRDO jet engine co-development having made lot of progress and reaching CCS soon.

May be some news of Kaveri.

[uddu]

93rd IAF Day Airshow Mesmerises Guwahati
The Indian Air Force will host a grand fly-past at Lachit Ghat, Guwahati, for the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations, which began with a parade at Hindon Airbase on October 8.

Nearly 75 fighter jets, including Sukhoi, Rafale, Tejas, and Mirage, will participate. This is the first Northeast Air Force Day event. Highlights include formations named after Assam's symbols, like the LCA Tejas in "Lachit" and Apache helicopters in "Rhino." Dignitaries, including Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, will attend.

[Kartik]

VIDEO: https://x.com/akki_bauer22_/status/1987 ... 39810?s=20 ---> BREAKING NEWS: Def Min Rajnath Singh confirms India will pursue more S-400 if they are available . Also says India will make its own jet engines within a year… hinting at Safran-DRDO jet engine co-development having made lot of progress and reaching CCS soon.

May be some news of Kaveri.

More likely GE F-414 negotiations leading to the start of the building of an assembly line to manufacture and assemble them in India.

[chetak]

Not pushing any platform, just informing onlee



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shbtwsdcB4Q



Su-57 SHOCKS Dubai Airshow 2025 — Full Breakdown of Russia’s Gen-5 Monster

Russia’s Su-57 shocked the world at Dubai Airshow 2025, delivering a performance that overshadowed the F-35, J-20, Rafale and every other fighter jet on the tarmac.


This video breaks down the Su-57’s aerobatic moves, real combat data from Syria, advanced N036 Byelka radar system, stealth design choices, weapons bay engineering and why its appearance changed global airpower debates.


If you are searching for the Su-57 performance, Dubai Airshow 2025 highlights, fifth-generation fighter comparison, or air superiority analysis, this video covers everything with technical accuracy and expert breakdowns.

[Rakesh]

India eyes more S-400s with upcoming Putin visit, Su-57 likely to stay off radar
https://theprint.in/defence/india-eyes- ... r/2792399/
26 Nov 2025

Not only did S-400 record its longest hit during India-Pakistan 88-hour conflict, ability of the system to shoot and scoot in a short time, which allows it to evade enemy fire, was also proved.

[Rakesh]

Not an IAF Jaguar, but damn!

VIDEO: https://x.com/PAVE_naught/status/162516 ... 41472?s=20 ---> SEPECAT Jaguar demonstrates its short takeoff capability.

[Manish_P]

^ Many years ago I wondered why this bird was named Jaguar.. and why the Brit pilots called it the 'Cat'. Especially when their other aircraft were named Tornado, Lightning, Buccaneer...

Then I saw the above video on the TV (it was shown in a documentary on Doordarshan!) and it all made perfect sense

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/IAF_MCC/status/1995891832245616664?s=20 ---> Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, visited No 1 Squadron from 01-02 Dec 25, on his farewell visit as the Commodore Commandant of the ‘Tigers’. During his visit, he was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour. The VCAS reviewed the operational readiness of the Squadron, interacted with the Squadron personnel, and flew a sortie on the Mirage 2000 aircraft.

[Rakesh]

Oman Hands Over 20 Jaguar Jets to India for Spares as IAF Battles Aging Fleet
https://www.timesnownews.com/india/oman ... -153255479
06 Dec 2025

[Rakesh]

S-400 Air Defence System | S-400: India's Pak AWACS Killer

On episode 29 of Ctrl Alt Defence, join Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som as they look at India's Pakistani AWACS killer, the S-400 system. We have this podcast at a time when the Russian President Vladimir Putin is here in India and we reflect on its capabilities and its future avatar, the S-500 Prometheus.

[Manish_P]

Oman hands over 20 Jaguar jets to India for spares as IAF battles aging fleet
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/India/om ... 43004&ei=2
06 Dec 2025

"Thank You Oman," would be the Indian Air Force's message to Muscat. For, the Oman Air Force will be transferring its 20+ Jaguar fighter-bombers to the IAF to be broken up and used as spares. The IAF has six squadrons of the Jaguar, with each of them having 18-20 warplanes, and it is one of the few countries in the world that still uses this Anglo-French-made jet.

Getting used warplanes to be broken up and used as spares is hardly glamorous, but it is certainly useful. For, the Royal Air Force and the French Air Force have retired their Jaguars, as have the Omanis. With the production facilities also having ended, there is little choice before the IAF-- it has to find spares where it can and the Omanis have 20-odd planes they have little for. And Oman is a friendly country, with a long defence-related relationship with India. When the Jaguars arrive, they will be broken up into spare parts, which are much-needed, considering the first Jaguar arrived in India in 1979. More came years later, but it is an aging aircraft and needs serious maintenance.

[Prem Kumar]

^ Nose-turned-up, "we will fight with what we have" in action

[Tanaji]

S-400 Air Defence System | S-400: India's Pak AWACS Killer

I can’t believe someone has such self importance the he makes an image of himself as an attack helicopter pilot in a video about a missile system…

[drnayar]

Not an IAF Jaguar, but damn!

VIDEO: https://x.com/PAVE_naught/status/162516 ... 41472?s=20 ---> SEPECAT Jaguar demonstrates its short takeoff capability.

I don't think that was a proper runway !.. it's was more like a semi metalled off road

[sanjayc]

^ Nose-turned-up, "we will fight with what we have" in action

More like "We are determined not to order anything for decades; After 30 years, we will fight with whatever rattletraps we have left."

[Rakesh]

VIDEO: https://x.com/Defencecore/status/199973 ... 21418?s=20 ---> INDIA'S NEXT GEN SPY PLANES

Bombardier Global 6500 has been selected as the base platform for DRDO’s ISTAR program, a ₹10,000 crore project under which IAF will induct 3 such aircraft fitted with indigenously developed surveillance, radar & intelligence systems. These aircraft will enable the IAF to detect, track and identify enemy troops, vehicles and air-defence positions from stand-off ranges, providing real-time targeting data for fast and precise air & missile strikes.

[Rakesh]

India Can’t Give Up Its Jaguar Strike Aircraft
https://www.twz.com/air/india-cant-give ... e-aircraft
15 Dec 2025

Spares sourced from Oman are the latest fix to patch up the dwindling Indian Air Force fighter fleet.

[vonkabra]

Interesting article on S-400 supply chain issues and vulnerabilities:
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/66149

The full report from RUSI is available here and has some interesting insights of the performance of the Russian IADS in Ukraine:
https://static.rusi.org/rp-disrupting-r ... uction.pdf

This may explain the delay in delivering the remaining S-400 squadrons.

[VinodTK]

As per the YT chanel ministry of defense in considering increasing the IAF squadron strength to 50; focus of Tajas Mk-II, 160 additional fighter jets. (starting at 0:39)

Indian Defence Updates: 50 Fighter Squadrons

MoD Weighs Raising IAF Strength to 50 Squadrons; Big Boost for Tejas Mk-II

[drnayar]

^ Nose-turned-up, "we will fight with what we have" in action

Better would be to build what we need !

[Rakesh]

Indian Defence Updates: 50 Fighter Squadrons

MoD Weighs Raising IAF Strength to 50 Squadrons; Big Boost for Tejas Mk-II

Excuse to purchase 114 MRFA. That is what this squadron boost is about.

[Cain Marko]

Indian Defence Updates: 50 Fighter Squadrons

MoD Weighs Raising IAF Strength to 50 Squadrons; Big Boost for Tejas Mk-II

Excuse to purchase 114 MRFA. That is what this squadron boost is about.

Or a few gen 5 birds vanilla.

[Rakesh]

Locked On: How Air-to-Air Missiles Shaped India-Pakistan Combat
https://iafhistory.in/2025/06/07/india- ... sile-race/
07 June 2025

They rarely fire. But when they do, the world shakes. From the K-13’s misfires to the Meteor’s no-escape zone, this is how missiles rewrote the rules of Indo-Pak air combat. A gripping chronicle of cold calculations, near-kills, and the unseen race to control the skies.

^^^ From the IAF History thread...

https://x.com/AnchitGupta9/status/19319 ... 15548?s=20 ---> Some piping-hot air-to-air missile action we couldn’t cram into the blog — but it’s too good to miss:

Python-5 on Tejas – @VelocityTTL
R-73 launch from Tejas – @VelocityTTL
ASRAAM on Jaguar – Praneeth Franklin
Astra on Su-30MKI – @VelocityTTL

Shot by India’s finest aviation lensmen!

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/Resonant_News/status/2004 ... 74033?s=20 ---> IAF fast tracks indigenous stealth program to render S-400 invisible to China-Pak spy satellites.

S-400 units are vulnerable to space-based spying, as SAR satellites can spot large radar and launcher vehicles even through clouds and darkness.

Frequent satellite passes expose locations, making batteries susceptible to stand-off strikes despite their mobility.

India is developing homegrown stealth solutions, including rugged radar-absorbent materials suited for extreme climates.

Next-gen meta material FSS blankets are planned to divert radar waves and sharply reduce the system’s radar signature.

Combat success has raised the S-400’s threat profile, driving urgency to shield it from satellite detection.

Full rollout targeted by 2030, enabling S-400s to operate inside wide “denial zones” with far greater concealment.

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/officialTatya_1/status/20 ... 42161?s=20 ---> Mirage 2000's M53-P2 powerplant.



https://x.com/officialTatya_1/status/19 ... 68871?s=20 ---> SNECMA M53-P2

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/connect_rishav/status/200 ... 99184?s=20 ---> Ladies and Gentlemen there she is! For the first time ever, the Indian Air Force reveals the first look of the S-400 launcher system in active service. Nicknamed "Sudharshan", it played a key part during Op Sindoor, shooting down 6 enemy aircraft. Photo Via @CareerinIAF.



https://x.com/connect_rishav/status/200 ... 79443?s=20 ---> Using Google Gemini, we tried to visualize the S400 launcher in 2 other liveries that we believe currently exist and are deployed somewhere.

• Top: Desert/Sand (based on a leaked image).

• Bottom: Tipnis Grey (inspired by the livery currently used on other IAF SAM systems).

[Rakesh]

World Class Russian Missiles – Continued Interest of India
https://airpowerasia.com/2025/12/26/wor ... -of-india/
26 December 2025

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/connect_rishav/status/200 ... 08276?s=20 ---> In a proposal worth ₹79,000 crores, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister @rajnathsingh, accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of the following equipment for the Indian Air Force:

Astra Mk2 ---> Active radar homing air-to-air missile, integrated with dual pulse rocket motor, offering an expected range over 200 km. Suitable for frontline fighters of the Indian Air Force, including Su-30MKI, LCA Tejas, MiG-29UPG, etc.



SPICE 1000 ---> Precision guidance kit that converts conventional 1000 lb bombs into long-range, stand-off smart weapons. Enhances deep-strike accuracy against high-value targets with 60 km range and 180° maneuvering capability. Suitable for Mirage 2000, Su-30MKI and LCA Tejas.



Automatic Take-off & Landing Recording System (ATLRS) ---> Provides high-definition, all-weather recording of aircraft take-off and landing phases to strengthen flight safety and investigation.



Full Mission Simulator for LCA Tejas ---> High-fidelity simulator that replicates real combat and emergency scenarios for Tejas pilots without risking aircraft. Improves training quality while cutting costs, flight hours, and operational wear and tear.

[Rakesh]

No 15 Sqn is the IAF's famed EW Rambha squadron. A fame earned at Balakot and are affectionately called AMRAAM Dodgers

https://x.com/hqwaciaf/status/2006336848722104513?s=20 ---> Air Marshal JS Mann, Senior Air Staff Officer, Western Air Command, visited a frontline fighter Squadron, The Flying Lances, as Commodore Commandant. He interacted with the squadron personnel and commended them for their stellar performance as the most decorated squadron being awarded 4 VrC, 2 VM (G) and 9 M-in-D. He reviewed operational readiness and undertook an operational sortie. The Air Marshal commended the technical staff for maintaining high serviceability and the aircrew for their skill & professionalism. He also participated in sports and social activities with the personnel and their families, appreciating the strong camaraderie that enhances the unit's operational preparedness.

[Rakesh]

Why SPICE-1000 Will Augment, Not Replace, DRDO’s Gaurav Glide Bomb
https://thumkar.blogspot.com/2025/12/wh ... place.html
31 Dec 2025

[uddu]

Astra on Su-30MKI – @VelocityTTL

Mostly AI Generated or PS image.

[VinodTK]

IAF: Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor takes charge as vice chief of air staff

New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor on Thursday took charge as the IAF's Vice Chief of Air Staff, succeeding Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, who retired on Wednesday after four decades of illustrious service to the nation.

During his distinguished flying career, Air Marshal Kapoor has flown all variants of the MiG-21 and MiG-29, accumulating more than 3,400 hours of flying experience on a variety of combat and trainer aircraft, the defence ministry said.

Prior to this appointment, he served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Air Command (SWAC).

"Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor assumed the appointment of Vice Chief of the Air Staff, IAF, on 1 Jan 26. Commissioned into the Flying Branch of IAF in Dec 1986, he has a rich experience of flying on various fighter and trainer aircraft of the IAF," the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a post on X.
He took charge as the Vice Chief of Air Staff at the Vayu Bhawan, where he was accorded a Guard of Honour.

Air Marshal Kapoor graduated from the National Defence Academy in December 1985 and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in the fighter stream of the flying branch on December 6, 1986.

The air marshal is an experienced fighter pilot, a qualified flying instructor and a fighter combat leader.

An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College, he has rendered more than 39 years of illustrious service and has held a wide spectrum of command, operational, instructional and staff appointments.

Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor receives guard of honour after taking charge as vice chief of air staff
His operational tenures include commanding officer of a fighter squadron in the Central Sector, station commander of a flying base in the Western Sector and air officer commanding of a premier air base.

"His instructional appointments include chief instructor (flying) at the Air Force Academy and directing staff at the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

"During his tenure at the Air Force Academy, the air officer was instrumental in the induction and operationalisation of the PC-7 Mk II aircraft in the Indian Air Force," the statement said.

The air marshal also undertook diplomatic assignment as a defence attache in Pakistan.

His key staff appointments include Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Strategy) at the Air Headquarters, Air Defence Commander at South Western Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Central Air Command and Air Officer-in-charge Personnel at the Air Headquarters, the defence ministry said.

Prior to assuming charge as the Vice Chief of Air Staff, the air marshal served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, and thereafter as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, SWAC, based in Gandhinagar.

In recognition of his exemplary and distinguished service to the nation, the air marshal was awarded the Vavu Sena Medal in 2008, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022, and the Presidential Awards of Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal in 2025.

Air Marshal Kapoor took over from Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, SYSM PVSM AVSM VM, who superannuated after 40 years of distinguished service to the nation, the statement said.

In a separate statement, the defence ministry said that Air Marshal Tejinder Singh took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), SWAC, on January 1.

After assumption of his new appointment, Air Marshal Singh paid homage to the martyrs at the National War Memorial.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Service Staff College and National Defence College, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on June 13, 1987.

He is a Category 'A' qualified flying instructor with more than 4,500 hours of flying experience.

In recognition of his meritorious services, he was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2007 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022.

Press Trust of India