ABSTRACT
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has a history of high operational quality. Although formed only a few years before the outbreak of the Second World War, it acquitted itself with credit as part of the larger British air forces operating in the Burma campaign. After India gained independence in 1947, the IAF has been at the vanguard of ensuring national security. The force is also geared for rapid delivery of humanitarian aid and disaster relief. While remaining an excellent air force, the IAF now faces a number of challenges. Its combat strength has been decreasing over the past decade and although parts of it are reaching towards fifth-generation air power, more than half of its combat capability is still the third and fourth generations. This chapter suggests that remedial measures tend to be embroiled in bureaucratic red tape, with the political leadership reluctant to initiate decisive action to ameliorate the situation. He concludes that IAF today is operationally sound, but faces an uncertain future in its ability to fight the two-front war envisaged by strategic thinkers. The IAF may be standing at a crossroads and the path it follows will determine whether it will be a first-class air force.
