Tejas operating from Leh in the winter of 2013

Tejas operating from Leh in the winter of 2013, at an altitude of 3,524 m (11,562 ft). The temperature was often down to -15 degree Celsius at night and the day temperature rarely exceeded 0 degree Celsius. Leh has one of the highest commercial airport in the world.

Tribute to 26/11 terror attack( operation black tornado )

Commissioning of INS Vikramaditya

Commissioning of INS Vikramaditya into the Indian Navy by Hon’ble Mr. A.K. Antony, Defence Minister of India; Severodvinsk, November 16, 2013.

INS Vikramaditya firing trails

Top 10 Largest Air Forces in the World

The national military organization or the Air Force is charged with safeguarding a country with its powerful Jets, strategies and missions. It controls and protects over the country and supports the other surface forces as well. From numerous Air Forces belonging to different countries, we at TopTens World have come up with a comprehensive list of the top ten largest Air forces in the World. They are ranked as follows:

10. Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

At number ten we have the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force that is a part of the Iranian Armed forces. The Air Force came into being in the 1980’s which followed an Islamic Revolution in Iran. Then naming of the Force did not take place until the Iran-Iraq War broke out and since then it is known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. It has 52,000 active personnel and 500 Aircrafts for its Air Force.

9. Japan, Air Self Defense Force

It wasn’t until World War II after which Japan started forming their very own Japanese Self-Defense Force. In 1954 Japan founded its Japan Air Self-Defense and performed the airborne duties that the navy and armed forces were taking care of. With General Haruhiko Kataoka as the Commander of the Army, 791 total Aircrafts and 45,000 personnel Japan stands as the number ninth Largest Air Force in the whole World.

8. United Kingdom, Royal Air Force

Founded in 1918, Royal Air Force is the part of the British Armed Forces and is number eight on our list of Top Ten. It was the World’s first ever Air Force Army that became independent of the navy and armed forces, also it is the oldest. When it was founded it was the largest force in the World but during World War I it was drastically reduced. It wasn’t until World War II that they gained back the power of the force. Today they hold 827 Aircrafts, 40,000 personnel with Sir Andrew as the Chief of the Air Force.

7. Turkey, Turkish Air Force

The Turkish Air force was founded along with the creation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. After the World War I some of the Turkish aviators tried to build new units in the main parts of Turkey and tried to bring back a flight personnel with the left overs of the war planes. This is how the beginning of the Turkish Air Force actually started. Today it holds total 60,000 personnel and 736 Aircrafts which makes it stand on number seven on our list.

6. Pakistan, Pakistani Air Force

Part of the Pakistan Armed Forces, Pakistan Air Force is the sixth largest Air Force in the World. It basically came into being in 1947 with the independence of Pakistan from India and British, it was then called the Royal Pakistan Air Force. At the time of the independence the country was not provided with the total promised equipment and aircrafts and it was not until 1956 when the country became a Republic, which changed the name to Pakistan Air Force and started flourishing. It today has almost 65,000 full time personnel and 902 Aircrafts. The Chief of Air Staff is Mr. Tahir Rafique Butt.

5. North Korea, Korean People’s Air Force

The Unified Aviation Forces of Korea, known as the Korean People’s Air Force is the strongest army force that defends its airspace. With the help of the Soviet, People’s Army was formed on the 20th of August 1947 and the day is still celebrated as the Air Force Foundation Day. The KPAF has 1,500 aircrafts and 110,000 personnel who make it stand as the fifth largest Air Force Army.

4. India, Indian Air Force

Officially established in the year 1932 the Indian Air Force is the fourth on our list. After the partition of India and Pakistan, the Indian Air Force that was known as the Royal Indian Air Force had conflicts regarding operational squadrons and facilities that were settled during the following years. Today the Indian Air Force has a total number of 127,000 workers and approximately 1,370 Aircrafts.

3. China, People’s Liberation Army Air Force

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force officially came into being in the year 1949 right after the foundation of People’s Republic of China. It now has total 330,000 active personnel and more than 2,500 aircrafts that make it stand as the third largest Air Force in the World.

2. Russia, Russian Air Force

The Russian Air Force was established in the year 1992. The Air Force suffered a lot regarding the facilities and resources of the Air Force in its early years, but since Vladimir Putin became the President of Russia, he backed up the Air Force and put in a lot of money for the betterment of the Force. It has around 180,000 personnel and almost more than 4,274 Aircrafts. The Russian Air Force is the second largest Air Force in the world.

1. United States, United States Air force

So the United States Air Force,without any doubt, tops the list of the largest Air Force in the World. It was founded back in 1947. It is known as the world’s most technologically advanced Air Forces. With 332,854 active personnel and 5,484 aircrafts, the vision of the United States Air Force is “The United States Air Force will be a trusted and reliable joint partner with our sister services known for integrity in all of our activities, including supporting the joint mission first and foremost. We will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and Power for the nation”.

source : top 10 worlds

Paratroopers of the Indian Army

Paratroopers of the Indian Army descend on the battle scene during an exercise. Parachute infantry is mainly dropped by air behind the enemy to choke off his supply line and means of escape. The Indian Army’s Parachute Regiment consists of three battalions, 5 Para, 6 Para and 7 Para.

THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT

BRIEF HISTORY The Indian Parachute Regiment was formed on 01 Mar 1945 consisting of four Battalions and an equal number of independent companies. During the demobilisation after the World War II the regiment was disbanded and the battalions were amalgamated with their parent regiments, however they retained their Para role and formed part of the Airborne Division. After independence the Airborne Division was split and 50th and 77th Brigades remained in India with six Para battalions. On 15 Apr 1952 the Parachute Regiment was re-raised by absorbing three Para battalions namely 1st Battalion the Punjab Regiment (PARA) redesignated as 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment (PUNJAB), 3rd Battalion the Maratha Light Infantry (PARA) redesignated as 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (MARATHA) and 1st Battalion the Kumaon Regiment (PARA) redesignated as 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (KUMAON). These battalions have now been redesignated as 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment (SF), 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (SF) and 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (SF) respectively. After the 1962 war the regiment was expanded by raising five new Para Battalions and after the 1965 war 9 PARA (Commando) and 10 PARA (Commando) were also raised. Currently the regiment has seven Special Forces (SF) Battalions i.e. 1,2,3,4,9,10 and 21 PARA (SF) and three Airborne battalions i.e. 5, 6 and 7 PARA The Parachute Regiment Depot and Records was raised at Agra on 15 Apr 1952 to coincide with the raising of the Regiment. On 01 May 1962, a training wing of the Parachute Regiment was formed at Kota under the Brigade of the Guards Training Centre and thus started the direct recruitment and training of recruits for The Parachute Regiment. On 13 Mar 1963, the Government of India accorded sanction for raising of The Parachute Regiment Training Centre to be located at Agra Fort. The first batch of recruits from the Rajputana Rifles, Rajput, Sikh and Dogra Regiments started arriving in the Training Battalion located at Kheria Camp, Agra. On 05 Feb 1965, the Centre moved to Morar Cantt, Gwalior. On 02 Oct 1975, The Parachute Regiment Training Centre, Records and Pay And Accounts Office (Other Ranks) moved to Agra. On 15 Jan 92, The Centre along with The Records and Pay And Accounts Office (Other Ranks) moved to Bangalore which is now its Key Location Plan (KLP).

Indian Naval Air Squadrons (INAS)

Indian Naval Air Squadrons (INAS)

SQUADRONS	AIRCRAFTS	NICK NAMES
INAS 300	SEA HARRIER	White Tigers
INAS 303	MIG 29K	Black Panthers
INAS 310	DORNIERS	Cobras
INAS 311	DORNIERS	Kites
INAS 312	TU 142M	Albatross
INAS 315	IL 38	Winged Stallions
INAS 318	DORNIER	Hawks
INAS 321	CHETAK/ALLOUETTE	Angels
INAS 322	ALH(DHRUV)	Guardians
INAS 330	SEAKING 42B	Harpoons
INAS 333	KAMOV 25	Eagles
INAS 336	SEAKING	Flaming Arrows
INAS 339	KAMOV 28	Falcons
INAS 342	UAV	Flying Sentinels
INAS 343	UAV	Frontier Formidables
INAS 344	UAV	Spirited Shadowers
INAS 350	UH 3H	Harpoons
INAS 550	DORNIERS	Flying Fish
INAS 551	KIRAN MK 1/1A/2	Phantoms
INAS 552	SEA HARRIER (TRAINER)	Braves
INAS 561	CHETAK HELICOPTER TRAINING SCHOOL
	SEAKING 42C (MARINE COMMANDO FLIGHT)	Zappers

INDIAN NAVY E-BROCHURE REGARDING THE CONDUCT OF SSB

CANDIDATES CAN DOWNLOAD THE E-BROCHURE REGARDING THE CONDUCT OF SSB  Click here to download it

Mighty raptor

Looks like Raptor got busted for excessive speeding !!!

INS Vikramaditya was spied upon by NATO aircraft and ship last year but the matter was hushed up

NATO P-3C Orion recce aircraft as seen from the deck of INS Vikramaditya in the summer of 2012.

INS Vikramaditya, India's largest aircraft carrier, is safely in the Indian Navy's hands now, and will begin its journey home shortly. But just a year ago, there was an incident that created a major stir on board the massive ship as it was put through trials at sea off the Russian coast.

INS Vikramaditya was spied upon by NATO forces.

Headlines Today Deputy Editor Shiv Aroor, the first Indian journalist on board the aircraft carrier, has accessed exclusive images of that disturbing incident that was even taken up at the diplomatic level.

The images show a NATO maritime spy aircraft repeatedly buzzing.

Over INS Vikramaditya in an attempt to snoop on her communications and combat signatures. Never before revealed, these images captured from the deck of the ship show how the US-built P-3C Orion "buzzed" the ship just a few hundred feet over her deck and circled her in an attempt to harvest classified electronic and acoustic data about the vessel.

The snooping operation created such a stir that the Russian team on board the Vikramaditya summoned a Russian Navy MiG-29K from a shore base to chase away the intruding aircraft.

The spy aircraft beat a hasty retreat once the MiG-29K arrived on the scene.

NATO P-3C Orion aircraft hovering over INS Vikramaditya

During the spying mission, the P-3C aircraft dropped two sensor buoys into Vikramaditya's immediate path in such a way that the ship sailed right through the gap between the two red bobbing devices, allowing the aircraft to record acoustic signatures.

Later, the Russian government sent photographs of the intrusion, including pictures of the sensor buoys, to the US Embassy in Moscow and NATO headquarters, but has received no reply yet.

Both the Indian Navy and the shipyard that modernised the Vikramaditya confirmed the incident but were tightlipped about the details of how much data about the battleship may have been compromised.

The NATO aircraft chose the early summer of 2012 when the sea was calm and the relative silence of neutral waters interfered least with sounds emanating from a ship - ideal conditions for airborne electronic snooping.

In another attempt to listen in on Vikramaditya's communications and electronic emanations, a Norwegian ship attempted to snoop on the ship shortly after the airborne spying mission.

The vessel, known to have specialised electronic equipment on board that allows the recording of acoustics from a distance, came fairly close to the Vikramaditya.

By that time, command and crew on board the aircraft carrier had made her go near totally silent.

A NATO ship from Norway snooping on the Vikramaditya.

The spygame between NATO and Russia remains intact years after the end of the Cold War, with both sides routinely intercepting and escorting "stray" aircraft, or attempting to snoop on aircraft and ship movements near maritime boundaries.

However, the fact that the snooping incident was on an Indian ship was a surprise.

The sensor buoys dropped by the NATO aircraft near the Vikramaditya to harvest acoustic data

Ariel image of INS Vikramaditya.

NATO P-3C Orion spy aircraft spying on INS Vikramaditya

A close-up shot of NATO spy aircraft.

Shot of the NATO spy aircraft flying near INS Vikramaditya.

Another shot of the NATO P-3C Orion spy aircraft buzzing over INS Vikramaditya.

Another shot of the NATO P-3C Orion spy aircraft flying near INS Vikramaditya.

Deck of INS Vikramaditya during the spying incident.

The NATO ship snooping on the Vikramaditya.

source : India today