India is betting on the air force. Indian Air Force Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force

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Indian Air Force(Hindi भारतीय वायु सेना ; Bhartiya Vāyu Senā) is one of the branches of the Indian Armed Forces. By the number of aircraft, they are in fourth place among the largest air forces in the world (after the USA, Russia and China).

The Indian Air Force was established on October 8, 1932, and the first squadron appeared in their composition on April 1, 1933. They played an important role in the fighting on the Burmese front during World War II. In the years 1945-1950, the Indian Air Force carried the prefix "royal". Indian Air Force took an active part in the wars with Pakistan, as well as in a number of smaller operations and conflicts.

In 2007, the Indian Air Force had more than 1,130 combat and 1,700 auxiliary aircraft and helicopters. A serious problem is the high accident rate. From the early 1970s to the early 2000s, the Indian Air Force lost an average of 23 aircraft and helicopters annually. The greatest number of flight accidents is accounted for by Indian-made Soviet MiG-21 fighters, which form the basis of the Indian Air Force fleet and have earned themselves a reputation as "flying coffins" and "widowmakers". From 1971 to April 2012, 482 MiGs (more than half of the 872 received) crashed.

The Indian air force is the fourth largest in the world after the United States, Russia and China. The date of creation of the Indian Air Force is October 8, 1932, when in Rusalpur, which is now in Pakistan, the British colonial administration began to form the first "national" RAF aviation squadron from among local pilots. The squadron was organized only six months later - April 1, 1933.

The Air Force of the Republic of India, which gained independence in 1947, was formed immediately after gaining sovereignty. From the first days, the Indian Air Force had to defend the interests of the country in bloody battles with Pakistan and China. From 1947 to 1971, three Indo-Pakistani wars took place, in which the aviation of the two newly created states was a direct participant.

The Indian Air Force is organizationally an integral part of the combined branch of the armed forces - the Air Force and Air Defense (Air Defense). The Air Force is led by the Chief of Staff. The Air Force headquarters consists of departments: operational, planning, combat training, intelligence, electronic warfare (EW), meteorological, financial and communications.

Five aviation commands are subordinated to the headquarters, which manage units in the field:

The Air Force has 38 aviation wing headquarters and 47 combat aviation squadrons.

India has a developed airfield network. The main military airfields are located near the cities: Udhampur, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, Ambala, Adampur, Halwara, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Sirsa, Malaut, Delhi, Pune, Bhuj, Jodhpur, Baroda, Sulur, Tambaram, Jorhat, Tezpur, Hashimara, Bagdogra , Barrkpur, Agra, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Gwalior and Kalaikunda.

Data on equipment and armament of the Indian Air Force taken from the Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine page.

India maintains 40+ operational Earth imagery satellites in polar orbits.

English is the official language of the Indian Armed Forces. All military ranks exist only in English and are never translated into any of the Indian languages. The British military rank system is used in the Indian Armed Forces with little or no change.

Vladimir SHCHERBAKOV

Modern India is a rapidly developing world-class state. Its importance is also constantly growing as a powerful aerospace power. For example, the country has its own modern SHAR cosmodrome on the island of Sriharikata, has a well-equipped space flight control center, a developed national rocket and space industry, which develops and serially builds launch vehicles capable of launching payloads into space (including geostationary orbits). The country has already entered the international market of space services and has experience in launching foreign satellites into space. There are also cosmonauts, and the first of them - Air Force Major Rokesh Sharma - went into space on the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft back in April 1984.

The Air Force (Air Force) of the Republic of India is the youngest branch of the national armed forces. The official date of their formation is October 8, 1932, when the British colonial administration began the formation of the first aviation squadron of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain from representatives of the local population in Rusal-pur (now located in Pakistan). The General Command of the Indian Air Force was formed only after the country gained independence in 1947.

At present, the Indian Air Force is the most numerous and combat-ready among all the states of South Asia and even ranks among the top ten largest and most powerful air forces in the world. In addition, they have a real and fairly rich experience in combat operations.

Organizationally, the Air Force of the Republic of India consists of a headquarters (located in Delhi), a training command, a logistics command (MTO) and five operational (regional) aviation commands (AK):

Western AK with headquarters in Pala-ma (Delhi region): its task is to provide air defense for a large territory, from Kashmir to Rajasthan, including the capital of the state. At the same time, given the complexity of the situation in the region of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, a separate task force has been formed there;

South-Western AK (headquarters in Gandhi-nagar): Rajasthan, Gujarat and Saurashtra are defined as its area of ​​responsibility;

Central AK with headquarters in Allahabad (another name is Ilahabad): the area of ​​​​responsibility includes almost the entire Indo-Gangetic plain;

Eastern AC (headquarters in Shillong): air defense of the eastern regions of India, Tibet, as well as territories on the borders with Bangladesh and Myan-moi;

South AC (headquarters in Trivandrum): formed in 1984, responsible for air security in the southern part of the country.

The MTO command, whose headquarters is located in the city of Nagpur, is responsible for various warehouses, repair shops (enterprises) and aircraft storage parks.

The Training Command is headquartered in Bangalore and is responsible for the combat training of air force personnel. It has a developed network of educational institutions of various ranks, most of which are located in southern India. Basic flight training for future pilots is carried out at the Air Force Academy (Dandgal), and further training for pilots takes place at special schools in Bidar and Hakimpet on TS training aircraft. 11 Iskra and Kiran. In the near future, the Indian Air Force will also receive MI 32 Hawk jet trainers. In addition, there are special training centers as part of the training command, such as the College of Air Warfare (College of Air Warfare).

There is also an interspecific joint Far East Command of the Armed Forces (the name Andamano-Nicobar Command is also used) with headquarters in Port Blair, to which the Air Force units and subunits stationed in that area are operationally subordinate.

This type of Indian Armed Forces is headed by the commander of the air force (locally called the chief of staff of the air force), usually in the rank of air chief marshal. Major Air Force Bases (AFB): Allahabad, Bamrauli, Bangalore, Dandigal (where the Indian Air Force Academy is located), Hakimpet, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Jojpur, Nagpur, Delhi and Shillong. There are also more than 60 other main and reserve VVB and airfields in different parts of India.

According to official figures, the total number of the Indian Air Force reaches 110 thousand people. This type of national armed forces of the republic is armed with more than 2,000 aircraft and helicopters of combat and auxiliary aviation, including:

Fighter-bombers

Fighters and air defense fighters

About 460;

Reconnaissance aircraft - 6;

Transport aircraft - more than 230;

More than 400 training and combat training aircraft;

Fire support helicopters - about 60;

Multi-purpose, transport and communications helicopters - about 600.

In addition, several dozen air defense divisions are subordinate to the Air Force command, which are armed with more than 150 anti-aircraft missile systems of various types, mainly of Soviet and Russian production (the newest are 45 Tunguska M-1 air defense systems).

Aircraft of the Mikoyan Design Bureau, which are in service with the Indian Air Force, are in parade formation.

Jaguar fighter-bomber and MiG-29 fighter of the Indian Air Force

Fighter-bomber MiG-27ML "Bahadur"

The special forces of the Indian Air Force, whose units are called Garud, are also in a special position. Its task is to defend the most important objects of the Air Force, conduct anti-terrorist and anti-sabotage operations.

However, it should be emphasized that due to the rather high accident rate in the Indian Air Force, it is not possible to accurately indicate the quantitative composition of their fleet, but at the moment it is not possible. For example, according to the authoritative magazine Aircraft amp; Aerospace Asia-Pacific, for the period 1993-1997 only. the Indian Air Force lost a total of 94 aircraft and helicopters of various types. Partially, the losses, of course, are compensated for by licensed production of aircraft at Indian aircraft factories or additional purchases, but, firstly, partially, and secondly, this does not happen quickly enough.

The main tactical unit of the Indian Air Force has traditionally been an aviation squadron (AE), which has an average of up to 18 aircraft. According to the provisions of the ongoing reform of the armed forces, by 2015 there should be 41 combat aviation units (including helicopters with attack helicopters). Moreover, at least a third of their total number should be squadrons equipped with multi-purpose aircraft - most of the Su-ZOMKI. As of the beginning of 2007, there were more than 70 AEs in the national air force, including:

Fighter air defense - 15;

Fighter assault - 21;

Naval aviation - 1;

Intelligence - 2;

Transport - 9;

Refueling tankers - 1;

Helicopter shock - 3;

Helicopter transport, communications and surveillance - over 20,

Despite the impressive aircraft and helicopter fleet, the Indian Air Force is currently experiencing quite serious difficulties in maintaining all aircraft in good technical condition. According to many analysts, a significant part of Soviet-made aircraft and helicopters are technically and morally obsolete and are in a non-operational state. High in the Indian Air Force, as noted earlier, are the accident rates, which is also most likely a consequence of the low technical readiness of older types of aircraft and helicopters. Thus, according to the Indian Ministry of Defense, from 1970 to June 4, 2003, 449 aircraft were lost: 31 Jaguars, 4 Mirages and 414 MiGs of various types. Recently, this figure has improved somewhat - up to 18 aircraft in 2002 (i.e. 2.81 aircraft for every 1000 flight hours) and even less in subsequent years - but still quite noticeably "thinns" the ranks of Indian aviation.

This state of affairs cannot but arouse concern among the command of the national air force and the armed forces as a whole. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Air Force budget for FY2004-2005. increased significantly and amounted to about $ 1.9 billion. At the same time, funding for the purchase of aviation equipment, ammunition and equipment is carried out under separate items from the general budget of the armed forces, which for this period amounted to $ 15 billion (an increase of 9.45% over compared to the previous financial year is about 2.12% of GDP) plus another 5.7 billion dollars - spending on research and development and purchases of weapons and military equipment during 2004-2007.

There are two ways to solve problems with the aviation fleet. This is the modernization of old and the purchase of new aviation equipment and weapons. The first, of course, is the ongoing modernization program for 125 MiG-21bis fighters (the MiG-21 in various modifications was supplied by the Soviet Union and produced in India under license, and the first group of design bureau employees arrived in the country to organize the production of these aircraft at the site back in 1965). The new modification received the designation MiG-21-93 and is equipped with modern Spear radar (JSC Fazotron-NIIR Corporation), the latest avionics, etc. The modernization program was completed in the first quarter of 2005.

L and her to MiG-29 fighters

Other countries were not left out. For example, in 2002 the Ukrainian company Ukrspetsexport signed an agreement with an estimated cost of about 15 million dollars on the overhaul of six MiG-23UB combat training aircraft from the 220th Air Squadron. As part of the work carried out by the Chuguev Aircraft Repair Plant of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the R-27F2M-300 engines were repaired (the direct executor here was the Lugansk Aircraft Repair Plant), the airframe, etc. The aircraft were handed over to the Indian Air Force in pairs in June, July and August 2004.

Procurement and purchase of new equipment. The main program here, no doubt, is the acquisition of 32 Su-ZOMKI multifunctional fighters and the licensed production of another 140 aircraft of this type already on the territory of India itself (Russia has transferred a “deep license” without the right to re-export these aircraft). The cost of these two contracts is estimated at almost 4.8 billion dollars. A feature of the Su-ZOMKI program is that the aircraft is widely represented by avionics of Indian, French, British and Israeli development, which was successfully integrated by Russian specialists into the onboard complex of the fighter.

The first Su-30s (in modification "K") were included in the 24th fighter-assault AE "Hunting Falcons", subordinate to the South-Western Aviation Command. The zone of responsibility of the latter is the most strategically important areas adjacent to Pakistan and rich in oil, natural gas, etc., including those on the sea shelf. By the way, almost all MiG-29 fighters are at the disposal of the same command. This testifies to the high appraisal given to Russian aircraft by the Indian military and politicians.

The Su-ZOMKIs supplied by the Irkut Corporation were officially adopted by the Indian Air Force and included in the combat strength of the 20th Fighter-Assault AE, based at the Lohegaon VVB near the city of Pune. The ceremony was attended by former Defense Minister George Fernandez.

However, as early as June 11, 1997, during the official ceremony of incorporating the first eight Su-ZOK into the Air Force, held at the Lohegaon Air Force Base, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Satish Kumar Sari, stated that “Su-ZOK is the most perfect fighter, completely meeting the present and future needs of the Air Force." Representatives of the air force command of neighboring Pakistan have repeatedly expressed and continue to express "deep concern" about the entry of such modern aircraft into service with Indian aviation. So, according to them, “forty Su-30 aircraft have the same destructive power as 240 old-type aircraft, which are in service with the Indian Air Force, and have a greater range than Prithvi missiles.” (Bill Sweetman. Looking to a fighter future. Jane's International Defense Review. February 2002, pp. 62-65)

In India, these aircraft are produced at the factories of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which has invested about $160 million in the installation of a new assembly line. The transfer of the first Su-30MKI assembled in India took place on November 28, 2004. The last licensed fighter should be transferred to the troops no later than 2014 (previously it was planned to complete the program by 2017).

Of particular note is the fact that Indian sources have repeatedly expressed the opinion that the newest Russian aircraft will be able to replenish the list of India's nuclear weapons delivery vehicles. Especially in the event that negotiations on the purchase of Tu-22MZ bombers with a flight range of about 2200 km and a maximum combat load of 24 tons will end in nothing. And, as you know, the military-political leadership of India attaches great importance to increasing the combat capabilities of the command of strategic nuclear forces, created on January 4, 2003, which was headed in the past by a fighter pilot, and now Air Marshal T. Asthana (former commander of the Southern Aviation Command of the Indian Air Force ).

Upgraded fighter MiG-21-93

Mi-8T transport helicopter

As for the nuclear weapons themselves, according to available data, in 1998, during nuclear tests conducted in the Rajasthan desert at the Pokhran army range, Indian specialists also used aerial bombs with a yield of less than one kiloton. So they are planning to hang them under the "dryers". Given the presence of refueling tankers in the Indian Air Force, the Su-30MKI, as a carrier of low-yield nuclear weapons, can really turn into a strategic weapon.

In 2004, one of the most pressing problems of the Indian Air Force was finally solved - providing them with modern training aircraft. As a result of a $1.3 billion contract signed with the British company VAB Systems, Indian pilots will receive 66 Hawk Mk132 jet trainers.

The Government Committee for Procurement of Weapons and Military Equipment approved this agreement back in September 2003, but the final decision was traditionally timed to coincide with an important event, which was the Defexpo India-2004 exhibition, held in February 2004 in the country's capital. Of the 66 ordered aircraft, 42 will be assembled directly in India at the enterprises of the national company HAL, and the first batch of 24 aircraft will be assembled at BAE Systems plants in Broe (East Yorkshire) and Wharton (Lancashire). The Indian version of the Hawk will be in many ways similar to the Mk115 Hawk modification, which is used as part of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) pilot training program.

The changes will affect some cockpit equipment, and all American-made systems will also be removed. Instead of it and part of the English equipment, a similar one in purpose, but designed and manufactured in India, will be installed. In the so-called "glass" cabin, it is supposed to install multifunctional displays on the dashboard (Head Down Multi-Function Display), a display on the windshield (Head Up Display) and a control system with the location of instruments on the ore (Hands-On-Throttie-And-Stick , or HOT AS).

In addition, the Indian aerospace industry is making progress on the HJT-36 Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) trainer aircraft designed to replace the obsolete HJT-16 Kiran aircraft. The first prototype of the HJT-36 aircraft, developed and built by HAL since July 1999, completed a successful test flight as early as March 7, 2003.

Another undoubted success of the Indian defense industry can be considered the Dhruv helicopter, designed on its own, designed to gradually replace the large fleet of Chita and Chitak helicopters. The official adoption of the new helicopter into service with the Indian Armed Forces took place in March 2002. Since then, several dozen aircraft have been delivered to the troops (both in the Air Force and in the Army), which are undergoing intensive testing. It is assumed that over the next years, at least 120 Dhruv helicopters will enter the armed forces of the republic. Moreover, the latter also has a civilian modification, which the Indians are promoting to the international market. There are already real and potential customers for these rotorcraft.-

Fighter "Mirage" 2000N

An-32 transport aircraft

Realizing that in modern conditions the presence of AWACS aircraft in the Air Force has already become a vital necessity, on March 5, 2004, the Indian command signed a contract with the Israeli company IAI for the supply of three sets of the Phalcon AWACS system, which will be installed on specially converted IL aircraft for this purpose. -76. The AWACS complex includes a radar with a phased antenna array E 1/ Elta M-2075, communication and data exchange systems, as well as equipment for electronic intelligence and electronic countermeasures. Almost all information on the Phalcon system is classified, but some Israeli and Indian sources claim that in terms of its characteristics it surpasses the similar complex of the Russian AWACS A-50 aircraft, also developed on the basis of the Il-76 transport aircraft (as for Indian specialists, they can do such statements, since in the summer of 2000 they had the opportunity to get to know the Russian Avax more closely during the Air Force exercises, in which two A-50s specially took part. (Ranjit B. Rai. Airpower in India - a review of the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy, Asian Military Review, Volume 11, Issue 1, February 2003, p. 44. The contract is valued at $1.1 billion, of which India is committed to pay $350 million in advance within 45 days. from the date of the signing of the agreement.The first aircraft will be handed over to the Indian Air Force in November 2007, the second - in August 2008 and the last - in February 2009.

It should be noted that the Indians tried to solve this issue on their own and developed a project to convert several HS.748 transport aircraft, produced in India under an English license, into an AWACS aircraft (the program was called ASP). The mushroom radome of the radar, located on the fuselage closer to the tail, has a diameter of 4.8 m and was supplied by the German concern DASA. The conversion work was entrusted to the HAL branch in the city of Kanpur. The prototype aircraft made its first flight at the end of 1990. But then the program was suspended.

The implementation of the new military doctrine of the Indian Armed Forces, adopted at the turn of the century, required the aviation command to create a fleet of tanker aircraft. The presence of such aircraft will allow the Indian Air Force to solve its tasks on a completely different level. According to the contract concluded in 2002, India received six Il-78MKI refueling tankers, the construction of which was entrusted to the Tashkent Aviation Plant. Each Il can take on board 110 tons of fuel and refuel seven aircraft in one flight (the first candidates for working with tankers are Mirages and Su-30K / MKI). The cost of one aircraft is about 28 million dollars. It is interesting that the Israeli aviation industry “teared off a piece” here too, concluding a contract for equipping the Ils themselves with an in-flight refueling system.

The Indian company HAL continues the development program of the national light combat aircraft LCA, which began back in 1983. The terms of reference for the aircraft were formulated by the Indian Air Force in 1985, three years later, under a contract worth $ 10 million, the French company Avions Marcel Dassault-Breguet Aviation completed the design of the aircraft, and in 1991 the construction of an experimental LCA began. Initially, the entry into service of the new aircraft was scheduled for 2002, but the program began to stall and was constantly postponed. The main reason is the lack of financial resources and technical difficulties faced by Indian specialists.

In the medium term, we should expect the entry into service of a new Russian-Indian transport aircraft, which has so far received the designation Il-214. The corresponding agreement was signed during a visit to Delhi on February 5-8, 2002 by a Russian delegation consisting of representatives of several ministries and departments headed by the then Minister of Industry, Science and Technology of Russia Ilya Klebanov. At the same time, the second meeting of the Russian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation was held. Russia is the main developer of the aircraft, and its production will be carried out at the plants of the Russian corporation Irkut and the Indian company HAL.

However, according to the Indian military, the main focus in the short term should be on the purchase of the latest ammunition, mainly high-precision air-to-surface weapons, which are practically non-existent in the Indian Air Force. According to Indian sources, the vast majority of the modern aircraft weapons of the Indian aviation are conventional bombs and obsolete missiles of various classes. In the current conditions of high-tech warfare, guided bombs, medium and long-range "smart" missiles, as well as other latest means of armed struggle are required.

Joint aerobatics of the MiG-29 and F-15 during one of the US-Indian exercises

In November 2004, the Indian Air Force Command tentatively approved a working plan of action, which provides for a wider use of budgetary funds allocated to this type of armed forces for the purchase of aviation weapons. It is assumed that for these purposes about 250 million dollars will be allocated annually to the command of the Air Force.

It should be especially noted that it is planned to equip the unmanned aerial vehicles of the Searcher, Mark-2 and Geroi types at the disposal of the Air Force with small-caliber guided munitions with GPS receivers and modern reconnaissance and surveillance systems for their effective use in mountainous areas (mainly on the border with Pakistan). As a priority measure to strengthen the air defense of aviation groupings, the Air Force command proposed to the leadership of the Ministry of Defense to put at least 10 divisions of short-range air defense systems "Shord" into the troops.

The Indian military-political leadership is striving for the comprehensive development of military-technical cooperation with various foreign states, not wanting to become dependent on any one partner. The longest history includes military-technical ties with Great Britain (which is quite natural, given the country's long colonial past) and with Russia. However, Delhi is gradually getting new partners.

In 1982, a memorandum of understanding was signed (in the rank of a long-term intergovernmental agreement) between India and France on military-technical cooperation, including the supply of weapons and military equipment, licensed production of a number of weapons and military equipment. There is also the possibility of so-called technology transfer. For the most effective implementation of the agreement, an intergovernmental consultative group was created.

Then Israel followed, with which India has established fairly strong relations in various fields, and the United States became the most “fresh” partner. The latter in September 2002 in the new National Security Strategy for the first time gave India the status of a "strategic partner."

The mutual decision to establish a strategic partnership between the two countries was made back in November 2001 during a summit meeting between US President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. On September 21, 2004, talks were held in Washington between the President of the United States and the new Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh. The meeting, during which a wide range of issues was considered in such important areas as bilateral cooperation, regional security and the development of economic ties, took place just a few days after the signing on September 17 by India and the United States of an important document on lifting US restrictions on the export of equipment for Indian nuclear energy. The procedure for licensing the export activities of US companies in the field of commercial space programs was also simplified, and the Indian Space Research Organization (fSRO) disappeared from the "black list" of the US Department of Commerce.

These activities are carried out as part of the first stage of a long-term program of strategic cooperation, promulgated in January 2004 and aimed at removing all barriers to bilateral cooperation in the field of high technologies, commercial use of outer space and strengthening the policy of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In American circles, it is often referred to as the "Next Steps in Strategic Partnership" (NSSP),

At the second stage of the NSSP, the main focus is on continuing to remove barriers that impede closer cooperation in the field of high technologies, and joint steps to strengthen the WMD non-proliferation regime and missile technologies.

If we talk about Russia, then for her close cooperation with India, including in the military-technical sphere, is vital. India is not only a "priority" buyer of our weapons, but also a strategic ally, actually covering our borders from the South Asian direction. Not to mention that India is the dominant power in the South Asian region today. In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that only with India does Russia have a long-term "Military-Technical Cooperation Program", designed initially for the period up to 2000, but now extended until 2010. And our military-political leadership should by no means miss initiative in this matter.

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By the number of aircraft, they are in fourth place among the largest air forces of the countries of the world (after the USA, Russia and China).
The British Indian Armed Forces were established on October 8, 1932. During the Second World War, they participated in the battles with the Japanese on the Burmese front. In 1947, India gained independence from Great Britain. Because of the unfair drawing of borders, clashes immediately broke out between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, which led to the death of more than half a million people. In 1947-1949, 1965, 1971, 1984 and 1999, India fought with Pakistan, in 1962 - with the People's Republic of China. The unsettled borders are forcing the state on the Hindustan Peninsula with a population of 1.22 billion people to spend huge amounts of money on the maintenance of the armed forces. In 2014, about 40 billion US dollars were allocated for these purposes.
Indian Air Force structure

Indian Air Force Aerobatic Team SURYA KIRAN Surya Kiran, which translates to our sun rays

The Indian Air Force (more than 150 thousand people) is organizationally an integral part of the combined branch of the armed forces - the Air Force and Air Defense (Air Defense). The Air Force is led by the Chief of Staff. The Air Force headquarters consists of departments: operational, planning, combat training, intelligence, electronic warfare (EW), meteorological, financial and communications.
Five aviation commands are subordinated to the headquarters, which manage units in the field:

1. Central (Allahabad city),
2. Western (Delhi),
3. Eastern (Shillong),
4. South (Trivandrum),
5. Southwestern (Gandhinagar), as well as educational (Bangalore).

The Air Force has 38 aviation wing headquarters and 47 combat aviation squadrons. India has a developed airfield network. The main military airfields are located near the cities: Udhampur, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, Ambala, Adampur, Halwara, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Sirsa, Malaut, Delhi, Pune, Bhuj, Jodhpur, Baroda, Sulur, Tambaram, Jorhat, Tezpur, Hashimara, Bagdogra , Barrkpur, Agra, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Gwalior and Kalaikunda.

An-32 military transport multi-purpose aircraft of the Indian Air Force

Currently, the Air Force of the republic is in the process of reorganization: the number of aircraft is decreasing, old aircraft and helicopters are gradually being replaced by new or modernized models, flight training of pilots is improving, piston training are being replaced by new jets.

Trainer trainer "Kiran" of the Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force is armed with 774 combat and 295 auxiliary aircraft. Fighter-bomber aviation includes 367 aircraft, consolidated into 18 squadrons:

• one -
• three - MiG-23
• four - "Jaguar"
• six - MiG-27 (most of the MiG-27 Indians plan to decommission by 2015)
• four - MiG-21.

The fighter aviation has 368 aircraft in 20 squadrons:

• 14 MiG-21 squadrons (120 MiG-21s intend to operate until 2019)
• one - MiG-23MF and UM
• three - MiG-29
• two - ""
• eight squadrons of Su-30MK aircraft.

In reconnaissance aviation, there is one squadron of Canberra aircraft (eight aircraft) and one MiG-25R (six aircraft), as well as two MiG-25U, Boeing-707 and Boeing-737 each.

The EW aviation includes: three American Gulfstream IIIs, four Canberra aircraft, four HS-748 helicopters, three Russian-made AWACS A-50EI aircraft.

Il-38SD-ATES Indian Air Force and Navy

Transport aviation is armed with 212 aircraft, combined into 13 squadrons: six squadrons of Ukrainian An-32 (105 aircraft), two Do 228, BAe 748 and Il-76 (17 aircraft), as well as two Boeing-737-200 aircraft , seven BAe-748s and five American C-130J Super Hercules.
In addition, the aviation units are armed with 28 VAe-748 aircraft, 120 Kiran-1, 56 Kiran-2, 38 Hunter (20 R-56,18 T-66), 14 Jaguar, nine MiG-29UB, 44 Polish TS-11 Iskra, 88 NRT-32 trainers and an administrative heavy-duty Boeing-737-700 BBJ.

Helicopter aviation includes 36 attack helicopters, combined into three squadrons of the Mi-25 (export version of the Mi-24) and Mi-35, as well as 159 transport and transport-combat helicopters Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-26 and Chitak (Indian licensed version of the French Alouette III), consolidated into eleven squadrons.

Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force. 2010

The main problem of the Indian Air Force is the extremely high accident rate caused by the depreciation of equipment, the high intensity of flights and the insufficient qualifications of new pilots. The majority of flight accidents occur in old Soviet MiG-21 fighters of Indian production. So from 1971 to 2012, 382 MiGs of this series crashed. But in India, Western-made planes are also falling.
Indian Air Force reorganization program

The Indian Air Force plans to introduce 460 units of newly built combat aircraft in the next 10 years, including:

• own production of light fighters LCA (light combat airctaft) "Tejas" (148 units) to replace the old MiG-21,
• French Rafali (126 units),
• 144 FGFA 5th generation fighters (created under an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and India)
• and an additional 42 Russian Su-ZOMKIs (after the implementation of this program, the total number of Su-ZOMKIs will reach 272 units).
• In addition, the Air Force purchased six Airbus A300 MRTT tanker aircraft assembled in Europe (in addition to the six Russian Il-78 MKI already available), ten American Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and other models of various aircraft and helicopters of various countries of the world.

Why India has so many weapons. Geopolitics (see at the end of the page).

India, along with the DPRK and Israel, is in the second three countries in the world in terms of military potential (the first three are Russia, the United States and China). The personnel of the Armed Forces (AF) of India has a high level of combat and moral-psychological training, although they are recruited. In India, as in Pakistan, due to the huge population and the difficult ethno-confessional situation, recruitment of the Armed Forces by conscription is not possible.

The country is the most important importer of arms from Russia, maintains close military-technical cooperation with France, Great Britain, Israel and the USA.However, cooperation with the United States in the military-technical sphere is sagging due to the reluctance of the Americans to share their technologies with India and the impossibility of exporting some interesting military products to India. Therefore, for a long time, Delhi preferred military-technical cooperation with Moscow (more on this at the end of the page).

At the same time, India has a huge military-industrial complex of its own, which is theoretically capable of producing weapons and equipment of all classes, including nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles. However, weapons models developed in India itself (the Arjun tank, the Tejas fighter, the Dhruv helicopter, etc.), as a rule, have very low technical and tactical characteristics, and their development has been going on for decades. The assembly quality of equipment under foreign licenses is often low, because of this, the Indian Air Force has the highest accident rate in the world. Nowhere in the world does military equipment represent such a "hodgepodge" of different types, different production, adjacent to a number of modern designs and frankly outdated models, as in India. Nevertheless, India has every reason to claim the title of one of the world-class superpowers in the 21st century.

Se composition of the armed forces of india

With Indian army troops are composed of the Training Command (headquarters in the city of Shimla) and six territorial commands - Central, Northern, Western, Southwestern, Southern, Eastern. At the same time, the 50th airborne brigade, 2 regiments of the Agni IRBM, 1 regiment of the Prithvi-1 OTR, 4 regiments of Brahmos cruise missiles are directly subordinate to the headquarters of the ground forces.

• Central Command includes one army corps (AK). It includes infantry, mountain, armored, artillery divisions, artillery, air defense, engineering brigades. Currently, the AK is temporarily transferred to the South-Western Command.
• Northern Command includes three army corps - 14th, 15th, 16th. They include 5 infantry and 2 mountain divisions, an artillery brigade.
• Western Command includes three AK - 2nd, 9th, 11th. They include 1 armored, 1 RRF, 6 infantry divisions, 4 armored, 1 mechanized, 1 engineering, 1 air defense brigade.
• Southwest Command includes an artillery division, the 1st AK, temporarily transferred from the Central Command, the 10th AK, which includes an infantry and 2 RRF divisions, an air defense brigade, an armored brigade, an engineering brigade.
• Southern Command includes an artillery division and two AK - 12th and 21st. They include 1 armored, 1 RRF, 3 infantry divisions, armored, mechanized, artillery, air defense, engineering brigades.
• Eastern Command includes an infantry division and three AK - 3rd, 4th, 33rd, three mountain divisions each.

ground forces owns most of India's nuclear missile potential. In two regiments there are 8 launchers of the Agni MRBM. In total, there are supposedly 80-100 Agni-1 missiles (flight range 1500 km), and 20-25 Agni-2 missiles (2-4 thousand km). In the only regiment of the OTR "Prithvi-1" (range 150 km) there are 12 launchers (PU) of this missile. All these ballistic missiles are developed in India itself and can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads. Each of the 4 regiments of Brahmos cruise missiles (jointly developed by Russia and India) has 4-6 batteries, each with 3-4 launchers. The total number of Brahmos GLCM launchers is 72. Brahmos is perhaps the most versatile missile in the world, it is also in service with the Air Force (its carrier is the Su-30 fighter-bomber) and the Indian Navy (many submarines and surface ships ).

The tank fleet of India is very powerful and modern. It includes 248 Arjun tanks of its own design, 1,654 of the latest Russian T-90s, of which 750 have been manufactured under a Russian license in recent years, and 2,414 Soviet T-72Ms that have been modernized in India. In addition, 715 old Soviet T-55s and up to 1,100 no less old Vijayanta tanks of our own production (English Vickers Mk1) are in storage.

Other armored vehicles Indian ground forces, unlike tanks, are mostly badly outdated. There are 255 Soviet BRDM-2s, 100 British Ferret armored vehicles, 700 Soviet BMP-1s and 1,100 BMP-2s (another 500 will be manufactured in India itself), 700 Czechoslovak armored personnel carriers OT-62 and OT-64, 165 South African Kasspir armored vehicles ", 80 English armored personnel carriers FV432. Of all the equipment listed, only the BMP-2 can be considered new, and very conditionally. In addition, 200 very old Soviet BTR-50s and 817 BTR-60s are in storage.

Indian artillery also outdated for the most part. There are 100 self-developed Catapult self-propelled guns (130-mm M-46 howitzer on the chassis of the Vijayanta tank; another 80 such self-propelled guns are in storage), 80 British Abbots (105 mm), 110 Soviet 2S1 (122 mm). Towed guns - more than 4.3 thousand in the army, more than 3 thousand in storage. Mortars - about 7 thousand. But there are no modern examples among them. MLRS - 150 Soviet BM-21 (122 mm), 80 own "Pinak" (214 mm), 62 Russian "Smerch" (300 mm). Of all the Indian artillery systems, only the Pinaka and Smerch MLRS can be considered modern.The armament consists of 250 Russian ATGM "Kornet", 13 self-propelled ATGM "Namika" (ATGM "Nag" of its own design on the chassis of the BMP-2). In addition, there are several thousand French ATGM "Milan", Soviet and Russian "Malyutka", "Competition", "Bassoon", "Storm".

Military air defense includes 45 batteries (180 launchers) of the Soviet Kvadrat air defense system, 80 Soviet Osa air defense systems, 400 Strela-1, 250 Strela-10, 18 Israeli Spider, 25 English Tigercat. Also in service are 620 Soviet MANPADS "Strela-2" and 2000 "Igla-1", 92 Russian ZRPK "Tunguska", 100 Soviet ZSU-23-4 "Shilka", 2720 anti-aircraft guns (800 Soviet ZU-23, 1920 Swedish L40/70). Of all the air defense equipment, only the Spider air defense system and the Tunguska air defense missile system are modern, while the Osa and Strela-10 air defense systems and the Igla-1 MANPADS can be considered relatively new.

Ground air defense includes 25 squadrons (at least 100 launchers) of the Soviet S-125 air defense system, at least 24 Osa air defense systems, 8 squadrons of their own Akash air defense system (64 launchers).

Army Aviation armed with about 300 helicopters, almost all of them - local production.The Indian Air Force includes the Commands: Western, Central, Southwestern, Eastern, Southern Training, MTO. ATThe Air Force has 3 squadrons of the Prithvi-2 OTR (18 launchers each) with a firing range of 250 km, can carry conventional and nuclear charges.

Attack aviation includes 107 Soviet MiG-27 bombers and 157 British Jaguar attack aircraft (114 IS, 11 IM, 32 combat training IT). All of these aircraft, built under license in India, are obsolete.

Fighter aviation is based on the latest Russian Su-30MKI, built under license in India. There are already 272 such aircraft in service. As mentioned above, they can carry the Brahmos cruise missile. 74 Russian MiG-29s (including 9 combat training UBs; another 1 in storage), 9 own Tejas and 48 French Mirage-2000s (38 N, 10 combat training TNs) are also quite modern. . Remains in service with 230 MiG-21 fighters (146 bis, 47 MF, 37 combat training U and UM), also built in India under a Soviet license. Instead of the MiG-21, it was supposed to purchase 126 French Rafale fighters, in addition, 144 FGFA 5th generation fighters will be built in India.

The Air Force has 5 AWACS aircraft (3 Russian A-50s, 2 Swedish ERJ-145s), 3 American Gulfstream-4 electronic reconnaissance aircraft, 6 Russian Il-78 tankers, about 300 transport aircraft (including 17 Russian Il-76, 5 newest American C-17s (there will be from 5 to 13 more) and 5 C-130J), about 250 training aircraft.The Air Force is armed with 30 combat helicopters (24 Russian Mi-35s, 4 own Rudras and 2 LCHs), 360 multipurpose and transport helicopters.

The Indian Navy includes three Commands - Western (Bombay), Southern (Cochin), Eastern (Vishakhapatnam).

There is 1 SSBN "Arihant" of its own construction with 12 K-15 SLBMs (range - 700 km), it is planned to build 3 more. However, due to the short range of missiles, these boats cannot be considered full-fledged SSBNs. The submarine "Chakra" (Russian submarine "Nerpa" project 971) is under leasing.There are 9 more Russian submarines of Project 877 in service (another such boat burned down and sank in its own base) and 4 German Project 209/1500. There are 9 newest French Scorpion-class submarines.The Indian Navy has 2 aircraft carriers: Viraat (former English Hermes) and Vikramaditya (former Soviet Admiral Gorshkov). Two own Vikrant-class aircraft carriers are being built.There are 9 destroyers: 5 of the Rajput type (Soviet project 61), 3 of our own Delhi type and 1 of the Kolkata type (another 2-3 Kolkata type destroyers will be built).There are 6 newest Russian-built frigates of the Talvar type (project 11356) and 3 even more modern own-built Shivalik-type frigates in service. Remain in service with 3 frigates of the Brahmaputra and Godavari types, built in India according to British designs.The Navy has the latest Kamorta corvette (there will be from 4 to 12), 4 Kora-type corvettes, 4 Khukri-type corvettes, 4 Abhay-type corvettes (Soviet project 1241P).In service are 12 missile boats of the "Veer" type (Soviet project 1241R).All destroyers, frigates and corvettes (except "Abhay") are armed with modern Russian and Russian-Indian SLCMs and anti-ship missiles "Brahmos", "Caliber", Kh-35.

There are up to 150 patrol ships and patrol boats in the ranks of the Navy and the Coast Guard. Among them are 6 ships of the Sakanya type, which can carry the Prithvi-3 BR (range 350 km). These are the only surface warships in the world with ballistic missiles.The Indian Navy has an extremely small mine-sweeping force. They include only 7 Soviet minesweepers of project 266M.

The landing forces include DVKD "Dzhalashva" (American type "Austin"), 5 old Polish TDK pr. 773 (another 3 in the crap), 5 own TDK of the "Magar" type. At the same time, India does not have a marine corps, there is only a group of naval special forces.

In service with naval aviation there are 63 carrier-based fighters - 45 MiG-29K (including 8 combat training MiG-29KUB), 18 Harriers (14 FRS, 4 T). The MiG-29Ks are intended for the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier and the Vikrant and Harriers under construction for the Viraata.Anti-submarine aircraft - 5 old Soviet Il-38 and 7 Tu-142M (1 more in storage), 3 newest American P-8I (to be 12).There are 52 German Do-228 patrol aircraft, 37 transport aircraft, 12 HJT-16 training aircraft.The naval aviation also has 12 Russian Ka-31 AWACS helicopters, 41 anti-submarine helicopters (18 Soviet Ka-28 and 5 Ka-25, 18 British Sea King Mk42V), about 100 multi-purpose and transport helicopters.

In general, the Indian Armed Forces have a huge combat potential and are significantly superior to the potential of their traditional adversary, Pakistan. However, now China is becoming India's main adversary, whose allies are Pakistan itself, as well as Myanmar and Bangladesh, which border India from the east. This makes the geopolitical position of India very difficult, and its military potential, paradoxically, insufficient.

Cooperation with Russia

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, in 2000-2014, Russia provided up to 75% of India's weapons. As of 2019, Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation is still exclusive. It's not even that India has been one of the largest buyers of Russian weapons for several years. For many years, Moscow and Delhi have been engaged in the joint development of weapons, and unique ones, such as the Brahmos missile or the FGFA fighter. The leasing of nuclear submarines has no analogues in world practice (only the USSR had a similar experience with India in the late 80s). There are now more T-90 tanks, Su-30 fighters, X-35 anti-ship missiles in the Indian Armed Forces than in all other countries of the world combined, including Russia itself.

At the same time, alas, not everything is rosy in relations between Russia and India. In the near future, Moscow's share in the Indian arms market may decline from 51.8% to 33.9% due to Delhi's desire to diversify suppliers. With the growth of opportunities and ambitions, Indian demands are also growing rapidly. Hence the scandals in the field of military-technical cooperation, most of which Russia is to blame itself. The epic with the sale of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya stands out against this background.However, it must be admitted that such scandals in Delhi arise not only with Moscow. In particular, during the execution of both major Indian-French contracts (for the Scorpen submarine and for the Rafale fighters), the same thing happens as with Vikramaditya - a multiple increase in the price of products and a significant delay by the French in terms of their manufacture. In the case of the Rafals, this led to the termination of the contract.

Why does India need so many weapons? Geopolitics

India is an ideal ally of Russia. There are no contradictions, on the contrary, there are great traditions of cooperation in the past and today. We have common main opponents - Islamic terrorism and the dictates of the Anglo-Saxon world.

But India has two more enemies - China and Pakistan. And all this, through the efforts of England, which, leaving the colonies, always left "embers in the fire." Russia is just trying to build good relations with all states, forgetting about conflicts in the past. This has been characteristic of the Russian state for centuries. India, on the other hand, does not at all want to forgive the insults of the past, let alone forget them. At the same time, it is interesting that Beijing remains Delhi's largest trading partner with a trade turnover of almost$ 90 billion in 2017-2018, which is more than the US and China.

India's main adversary is Pakistan, with which there have been contradictions since the formation of two states in 1947. The second adversary is China. And the worst-case scenario for India is an alliance between Pakistan and China in military-political cooperation. So, after the February events in Kashmir between India and Pakistan in 2019, the Pakistani army received one hundred SD-10A air-to-air missiles from China. PThe United Kingdom also maintains close economic ties with Pakistan, implementing a number of joint economic projects. Some of them directly affect the interests of India. For example, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which connects the territory of the PRC with the Pakistani port of Gwadar, passes through Gilgit-Baltistan, a disputed territory of India and Pakistan in Kashmir. Delhi has no leverage over the CPEC.

Moreover, in 2017, Pakistan leased a 152-hectare site to China Overseas Port Holding in the commercial port of Gwadar. For China, this is an opportunity to establish a base for a fleet in the Arabian Sea, which shatters the Indian dream of becoming the dominant maritime power in the Indian Ocean.

If we add to this contradictions with China in matters of security in Afghanistan, mutual missile build-up, disputes over the nuclear status of India and long-standing territorial contradictions (Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh), it becomes clear why some of the principles of “panch” no longer work between countries. shila" (peaceful coexistence).

India is confident that China is gradually surrounding the country with a chain of military bases or military infrastructure, including the mentioned port in Pakistan and another port in Sri Lanka, military facilities in the Himalayas, as well as railways in pro-Chinese Nepal. The active penetration of the Chinese into neighboring Bangladesh and Myanmar also causes a feeling of blockade in India.

In the summer of 2017, the tension between the countries reached its limit. In June, China sent military engineers to build a highway on the Doklam Plateau, the crossroads of Indian-Chinese-Bhutanese territorial claims. The plateau is of strategic importance for India, as it opens up access to the Siliguri corridor, which connects the main part of the country's territory with the seven northeastern states. Delhi even sent troops to the territory of Bhutan, as a result, the "strange war" ended with the return of the status quo.

Against this background, BRICS looks like a strange formation in which Moscow is trying to reconcile the two largest powers in the world in terms of population and economic potential. Delhi does not need an alliance with Beijing. After all, China is not only the main geopolitical adversary, but also an economic competitor. India needs an alliance against Beijing. It is in this format that she would be happy to be friends with Moscow, but Russia does not agree to cool relations with China, for the sake of India, and this is reasonable.