Indian National Army Air Force
From Roach Busters
The Indian National Army Air Force (INAAF) is the air-arm of the armed forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. It was established on October 8, 1932 as the Indian Air Force. With its headquarters in New Delhi, the Indian National Army Air Force has a strength of approximately 340,000 personnel and 2,700 combat aircraft
The official motto of the INAAF is Nabha Sparsham Deeptam, which translates to "Touch the Sky with Glory."
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INAAF air staff
The Officers of the INAAF are commissioned in one of the following branches:
- Flying
- Engineering
- Administration
- Logistics
- Accounts
- Education
- Meteorological
- Medical & Dental Branch
Rank structure
The highest rank attainable in the INAAF is Marshal of the Indian National Army Air Force, conferred by the President of India only after exceptional service (equivalent to Field Marshal in the Indian National Army Ground Force). The head of the INAAF is the Chief of the Air Staff. The current Chief of the Air Staff is Marshal of the Indian National Army Air Force A.J. Deshmukh.
Officer
The various ranks of personnel within the INAAF are listed below in descending order:
- Marshal of the Indian National Army Air Force
- Air Chief Marshal
- Air Marshal
- Air Vice Marshal
- Air Commodore
- Group Captain
- Wing Commander
- Squadron Leader
- Flight Lieutenant
- Flying Officer
Airmen
During its formation, the rank structure of airmen was based on the English model. Over the years the rank structure has seen significant changes.
- Master Warrant Officer
- Warrant Officer
- Junior Warrant Officer
- Sergeant
- Corporal
- Leading Aircraftman
- Aircraftsman
Civilian
Almost all the commands have some percentage of civilian strength which are Central Govt. Employees. These are regular ranks which are prevalent in ministries. They play fine roles as they are usually not posted outside their stations and therefor helpful in administration and usual office and technical work. More than 250 different designations exists.
Most common designations of civil administration of Civilians are below:-
- CGO (Civilian Gazetted Officer)
- Section Officer
- Assistant
- UDC
- LDC
Structure of the INAAF
The head of the INAAF, Chief of the Air Staff, is assisted by six officers: the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, the Air Officer in Charge of Administration, the Air Officer in Charge of Personnel, the Air Officer in Charge of Maintenance, and the Inspector General of Flight Safety.
Commands
The Indian Air Force currently operates seven Commands. Each Command is headed by a Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief in the rank of Air Marshal.
| Command | HQ Location | AOC-in-C |
|---|---|---|
| Western Air Command | Subroto Park, New Delhi | Air Marshal G.N. Karmarkar |
| Eastern Air Command | Shillong, Meghalaya | Air Marshal P.K. Banerjee |
| Central Air Command | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh | Air Marshal P.V. Pattar |
| Southern Air Command | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | Air Marshal Y.R. Saran |
| South Western Air Command | Gandhinagar, Gujarat | Air Marshal S.S. Bhattathiri |
| Training Command | Bangalore, Karnataka | Air Marshal G.S. Sahni |
| Maintenance Command | Nagpur, Maharashtra | Air Marshal N. Bose |
