83rd Air Force Day: 10 Facts About IAF That Will Make You Feel Proud

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The moment when India is celebrating its 83rd Air Force Day is a moment of proud for every Indian. Indian Air Force has not only protected our nation from its enemies but also extended extensive support during natural calamities such at a time of floods in Uttarakhand, J&K, Earthquake in Nepal etc.

On Air Force Day, we would like to present some of the unique facts about IAF.

1. IAF is the fourth largest Air Force in the world, started on this day in 1932. The motto of IAF ‘Touch The Sky With Glory’ is taken from Bhagavad Gita.

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2. Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is the only IAF officer to be honoured with Param Vir Chakra. He was posthumously awarded for his single-handed protection of Srinagar Airbase during Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

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3. Padmavathy Bandopadhyay is the first woman Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force. She was Director General for medical services at air force headquarters.

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4. Before independence, Indian army exercised its control over IAF. However, as a result of the efforts by the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian Air Force, Air Marshal Sir Thomas Walker Elmhirst, IAF functioned as an independent service organisation for the first time.

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5. The Marshal of IAF is the highest rank which is similar to the Field Marshal of Indian Army.

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6. IAF also honour Indians who have made the country proud. In recent times, IAF proudly honoured Sachin Tendulkar with the rank of Group Captain, Mahender Singh Dhoni as a frontline fighter and Saina Nehwal as flying Kiran jet trainer.

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7. IAF also launched a 3D game called ‘Guardians of the Skies’  in order to engage with the youth of this country and encourage them to join IAF.

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8. During Operation Rahat in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, IAF airlifted close to 20,000 people and supplied nearly 400,000 Kgs of food and relief material to people who were stranded in different valleys.  IAF claims it to be the biggest civilian rescue operation in the world. 

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9. IAF has a total of 60 Airbases of which 16 are located in Western air command making it the largest air command.

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10. IAF had also engaged in an operation to support the United nations in freeing Congo from Belgium’s 75-year-rule.

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Also read: IAF Will Soon Induct Women Pilots Into Fighter Stream

Article inputs from Topyaps, Wikipedia and Indiatimes

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