The Indian Air Force has been a crucial asset and a symbol of pride for India. The IAF has been serving the nation and touching the sky with glory for over nine decades now. Recently, the IAF celebrated its 91st anniversary. On this occasion, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari conveyed his best wishes to all enthusiastic readers of SP’s Aviation in a letter featured in the magazine.

This edition features an exclusive interview of Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari on a range of subjects from threat perception, capability development, supporting the Atmanirbharta agenda, investing in indigenous products and Human Resource developments in the IAF. On the modernisation of the IAF, the Chief said, “We are in the process of shifting from ‘threat based and demanded’ to ‘capability demanded’ force requirements” and also without referring to any particular ability to imbibe, he mentioned that “we should seek to enhance existing capabilities in quality and quantity to match the threat.”

The theme for this year’s Air Force Day was “Airpower beyond Boundaries” and was celebrated with the usual pomp and show. In a change of venue from last year, this year the IAF hosted its annual Air Force Day ceremonial parade at Bamrauli Air Force Station in Prayagraj, marking 91 years of “touching the sky with glory” on October 8, 2023. A full report on the celebrations including the scintillating and mesmerising flying display is included in this issue. The complete address by CAS on the IAF Day Parade is also a part of this edition.

Continuing our special IAF coverage in this ‘Annual IAF Special’ issue, we have Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd) write about how the IAF needs to secure the skies through Air Power parity amidst rising Regional Challenges, adding that there’s a need to refocus the priorities on doctrines, force levels, modernisation, and training. Air Marshal Sukhchain Singh (Retd) talks about the adoption of the latest technologies in transforming the IAF into a modern, 21st-century Air Power. He writes that Air Power has logically expanded to Aerospace Power and the need to defend space-borne assets and their ground-based infrastructure. This doctrine serves as a roadmap for absorbing future technologies in the conduct of its missions and transforming from a contemporary to a future-ready force.

From combat-ready to compassion-driven, Group Captain (Dr) Dinesh Kumar Pandey elaborates on the humane side of the IAF, highlighting its illustrious legacy of conducting Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions within India and abroad to provide aid and rescue to people affected by natural calamities, conflicts, or crises. India still remembers the missions undertaken by the IAF in rescuing the Indian diaspora stranded in Ukraine/Poland/Sudan and elsewhere, whenever the need arises.

Brazilian manufacturer Embraer recently visited India for their KC-390 Millennium Day festivities. The delegation took the opportunity to underscore their nation’s commitment to exploring technology transfer possibilities in India for which they are exploring engagements with various private enterprises as well as the Indian Air Force. A report on the same by Ayushee Chaudhary is a part of this issue.

All this and more in this issue of SP’s Aviation. Welcome aboard and we wish you many happy landings!