On October 8, 2024, India celebrated the 92nd anniversary of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The day honors the brave personnel serving in the force and commemorates its establishment. Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, reviewed the parade and highlighted significant strides in operational capabilities and professionalism over the past year. He urged a focus on introspection, celebrating achievements, and aligning with current and future defense needs.
~HT.178~ED.102~GR.124~
~HT.178~ED.102~GR.124~
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Over the past year, we have made significant strides in strengthening our operational capabilities,
00:06enhancing our professionalism, and adapting to ever-evolving, challenging modern warfare.
00:13The Air Force Day is an occasion to honour the courage and valour of all air warriors
00:19past and present, and pay homage to those who have made supreme sacrifice.
00:24And on this day, while we rededicate ourselves to the service of the nation, we must also
00:31look back to introspect on the previous year, celebrate our achievements, recognise areas
00:37where we fell short, learn our lessons, and realign ourselves to the present and future
00:42requirements.
00:44The global security environment is in a state of constant flux.
00:48Ongoing conflicts have demonstrated the inescapable requirement to have a strong and capable Air
00:54Force.
00:55Therefore, there is a need for the Indian Air Force to be prepared to meet any contingency
01:00that challenges our national interests.
01:03Adopting latest technology, along with innovative and out-of-the-box thinking, will play a decisive
01:08role in today's multi-domain environment.
01:13The theme this year, Bharatiya Vayu Sena, Saksham, Shashat, Evam Aap Nirbhar, perfectly
01:19describes our aspirations.
01:22Over the years, we have become more empowered with better technology and achieved new levels
01:27of exploitation of our systems and weapons.
01:32Aap Nirbhartha in the field of defence R&D and manufacturing is our priority.
01:38And concrete steps have been taken to support Make in India initiatives by engaging MSMEs,
01:43start-ups, individual innovators, professionals, R&D institutes, and academia.
01:52The past year has been very eventful and Indian Air Force has proved its mettle on
01:56various fronts.
01:58One of our primary objectives is to deliver weapons on target, on time, every time.
02:04And this capability was aptly showcased during the firepower demonstration exercise Vayu
02:09Shakti at Pokhran Range in February this year.
02:13This was followed by the Air Force-level exercise Gagan Shakti in April, during which all elements
02:19of the Air Force were exercised in near-operational environment, so as to learn valuable lessons
02:25which are being incorporated in our op plans.
02:29This year, we expanded our participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises with
02:34the Air Forces of friendly foreign countries.
02:37We also conducted the largest multinational exercise Tarang Shakti on Indian soil, after
02:42a gap of 61 years, with participation from Air Forces of more than 30 nations.
02:49The fact that this exercise was very well received by all participating Air Forces,
02:54and our overall arrangements and conduct of the exercise earned a lot of praise, is a
02:58testimony to the competence and capability of the Indian Air Force.