Royal Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force was established in British India as an auxiliary air force[2] of the Royal Air Force with the enactment of the Indian Air Force Act 1932 on 8 October that year[3][4] and adopted the Royal Air Force uniforms, badges, brevets and insignia.[5] On 1 April 1933, the IAF commissioned its first squadron, No.1 Squadron, with four Westland Wapiti biplanes and five Indian pilots. The Indian pilots were led by RAF Commanding officer Flight Lieutenant (later Air Vice Marshal) Cecil Bouchier.[6]

The first five pilots commissioned into the IAF were Harish Chandra Sircar, Subroto Mukerjee, Bhupendra Singh, Aizad Baksh Awan and Amarjeet Singh. A sixth officer, J N Tandon had to revert to logistics duties as he was too short. All of them were commissioned as Pilot Officers in 1932 from RAF Cranwell. Subroto Mukerjee later went on to become the IAF's first Chief of the Air Staff. Subsequent batches inducted before World War II included Aspy Engineer, K K Majumdar, Narendra, Daljit Singh, Henry Runganadhan, R H D Singh, Baba Mehar Singh, S N Goyal, Prithpal Singh and Arjan Singh.

A Westland Wapiti, one of the first aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

Pilots of No. 263 Squadron pose in front of their Typhoon. Pilot Officer Thyagarajan, an Indian pilot is seated on the engine cowling

Karun Krishna "Jumbo" Majumdar was the first Indian officer to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

83 Squadron aircrew in front of their Lancaster R5868, Squadron Leader Shailendra Eknath Sukthankar, an Indian Navigator stands in the middle.

Personnel of the RAF, Indian Air Force and Women's Auxiliary Corps (India) at work in the Operations Room at a Group Headquarters in North-eastern India.

Indian Airforce Pilots after a mission in Burma during WW2

During World War II, the IAF played an instrumental role in halting the advance of the Japanese army in Burma, where the first IAF air strike was executed. The target for this first mission was the Japanese military base in Arakan, after which IAF strike missions continued against the Japanese airbases at Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in northern Thailand.

The IAF was mainly involved in strike, close air support, aerial reconnaissance, bomber escort and pathfinding missions for RAF and USAAF heavy bombers. RAF and IAF pilots would train by flying with their non-native air wings to gain combat experience and communication proficiency. Besides operations in the Burma Theatre IAF pilots participated in air operations in North Africa and Europe.[1][7]

In addition to the IAF, many native Indians and some 200 Indians resident in Britain volunteered to join the RAF and Women's Auxiliary Air Force. One such volunteer was Sergeant Shailendra Eknath Sukthankar, who served as a navigator with No. 83 Squadron. Sukthankar was commissioned as an officer, and on 14 September 1943, received the DFC. Squadron Leader Sukthankar eventually completed 45 operations, 14 of them on board the RAF Museum’s Avro Lancaster R5868. Another volunteer was Assistant Section Officer Noor Inayat Khan a Muslim pacifist and Indian nationalist who joined the WAAF, in November 1940, to fight against Nazism. Noor Khan served bravely as a secret agent with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France, but was eventually betrayed and captured.[1] Many of these Indian airmen were seconded or transferred to the expanding IAF such as Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji DFC who led No. 4 Squadron IAF in Burma.

During the war, the IAF experienced a phase of steady expansion. New aircraft added to the fleet included the US-built Vultee Vengeance, Douglas Dakota, the British Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Bristol Blenheim, and Westland Lysander.

Subhas Chandra Bose sent Indian National Army youth cadets to Japan to train as pilots. They went on to attend the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Academy in 1944.[8]

In recognition of the valiant service by the IAF, King George VI conferred the prefix "Royal" on 12 March 1945. Thereafter the IAF was referred to as the Royal Indian Air Force. In 1950, when India became a republic, the prefix was dropped and it reverted to being the Indian Air Force.[9]

Post war, No. 4 Squadron IAF was sent to Japan as part of the Allied Occupation forces.[10]

With the partition of the Indian sub-continent into two separate nations—India and Pakistan—the military forces were also partitioned. This gave a reduced Royal Indian Air Force and a new Royal Pakistan Air Force in 1947.

Refugees awaiting evacuation by IAF Dakota on Poonch airstrip, December 1947

After it became independent from the British Empire in 1947, British India was partitioned into the new states of the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. Along the lines of the geographical partition, the assets of the air force were divided between the new countries. India's air force retained the name of the Royal Indian Air Force, but three of the ten operational squadrons and facilities, located within the borders of Pakistan, were transferred to the Royal Pakistan Air Force.[11] The RIAF Roundel was changed to an interim 'Chakra' roundel derived from the Ashoka Chakra.[5]

Around the same time, conflict broke out between them over the control of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir. With Pakistani forces moving into the state, its Maharaja decided to accede to India in order to receive military help.[12] The day after, the Instrument of Accession was signed, the RIAF was called upon to transport troops into the war zone. And this was when a good management of logistics came into help.[12] This led to the eruption of full-scale war between India and Pakistan, though there was no formal declaration of war.[13] During the war, the RIAF did not engage the Pakistan Air Force in air-to-air combat; however, it did provide effective transport and close air support to the Indian troops.[14]

An IAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber over the Deccan plateau in the early 1950s

When India became a republic in 1950, the prefix 'Royal' was dropped from the Indian Air Force.[15] At the same time, the current IAF roundel was adopted.[5]

• 1933–1942: The RAF roundel was used from 1933 to 1942 as the IAF was first established as an auxiliary air force of the Royal Air Force.
• 1943–1945: This roundel was used from 1943–1945 in the Burma Sector during World War II. The central red disc was removed to eliminate confusion with the Japanese Rising Sun Emblem.
• 1947–1950: The Ashoka Chakra was an interim roundel used from Indian independence in 1947 till India became a republic in 1950.
• 1950: This roundel was adapted by the IAF in 1950 and kept it after India became a republic and is used to this day.

The ensign had a field of air force blue with the Union Jack in the canton and the roundel of Royal Air Force superimposed in centre of inside of Star of India in the fly.

The badge had Tudor crown on top of ring with an eagle augmented in center. A ribbon in fly below with the force motto PER ARDUA AD ASTRA.

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1		de la Ferté, PhilipAir Marshal Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté KCB, CMG, DSO (1886–1973)	27 December 1938	6 October 1939	283 days	[27]
2		Higgins, JohnAir Marshal Sir John Higgins KCB, KBE, DSO, AFC (1875–1948)	6 October 1939	26 September 1940	356 days	—
3		Playfair, PatrickAir Marshal Sir Patrick Playfair KCB, CB, CVO, MC (1889–1974)	26 September 1940	6 March 1942	1 year, 161 days	—
4		Peirse, RichardAir Chief Marshal Sir Richard Peirse KCB, DSO, AFC (1892–1970)	6 March 1942	27 April 1943	1 year, 52 days	—
5		Garrod, GuyAir Marshal Sir Guy Garrod KCB, OBE, MC, DFC (1891–1965)	27 April 1943	8 March 1944	316 days	—
6		Thomas, MeredithAir Vice Marshal Meredith Thomas CSI, CBE, DFC, AFC (1892–1984)	8 March 1944	1 April 1946	2 years, 24 days	—
7		Carr, RoderickAir Marshal Sir Roderick Carr KBE, CB, DFC, AFC (1891–1971)	1 April 1946	22 November 1946	235 days	—
8		Walmsley, HughAir Marshal Sir Hugh Walmsley KCIE, CB, CBE, MC, DFC (1898–1985)	22 November 1946	15 August 1947	252 days	—

(On 15 August 1947, the unified RIAF was separated into the Royal Indian Air Force and the Royal Pakistan Air Force)

(**Seconded from the Royal Air Force)