Military


Air Force Equipment

Introduction
SYSTEM Inventory
1990 1995 2000 2002 2005 2008 2010 2015 2020
BOMBERS 9 - - - - - - - -
Canberra B(I).58 / B(I).66 9 - - - - - - - -
Fighter/Attack 862 853 794 760 744 623 593 555 781
SQUADRONS [16-20A/C] AUTHORIZED 39.5 39.5 39.5 39.5 39.5 39.5 39.5 39.5 39.5
SQUADRONS [16-20A/C] ON HAND 41 41 36 34 32 34 35 35 42
Heavy Combat Aircraft (HCA) - - 8 16 28 48 80 140 230
Su-30K/MK/MKI - - 8 16 28 48 80 140 230
Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) 368 406 397 362 337 272 256 230 352
MCA / MRCA - - - - - - - - 72?
MRF - - - - - - - 24 126
Mirage 2000H/TH Vajra 47 35 40 40 40 36 36 36 36
Jaguar S(I) Shamsher* 80 97 88 84 74 74 74 72 70
MiG-29B Baaz 50 67 64 63 65 48 48 48 48
MiG-27M/ML Bahadur 70 133 132 123 108 98 98 48 -
MiG-23BN Vijay 64 54 53 52 50 16 - - -
MiG-23MF Rakshak 57 20 20 - - - - - -
HF-24 Marut - - - - - - - - -
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ***** 396 348 291 289 286 238 192 140 160
LCA Tejas - - - 2 4 6 10 30 50?
MiG-21bis-93 Vikram Bison - - - - - 104 110 110 110
MiG-21bis Vikram 170 170 169 165 165 8 - - -
MiG-21M/MF/PFMA Trishul 144 144 96 96 81 72 72 - -
MiG-21FL Trishul 34 34 26 26 36 48 - - -
Ajeet 48 - - - - - - - -
Combat Trainer88 99 98 93 93 65 65 45 39
MiG-29UB - 7 9 9 9 6 6 6 6
MiG-27UM 10 15 15 12 12 11 11 5 -
MiG-23UM 8 6 6 4 4 2 2 - -
MiG-21U 40 40 40 40 40 28 28 15 15
Mirage 2000TH Vajra 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Jaguar B(I) 5 14 14 14 14 8 8 8 8
Canberra T.54 20 2 2 2 2 - - - -
Canberra TT.418** 5 5 2 2 2 - - - -
ECM
Canberra B(I).58** 5 5 4 4 3 - - - -
Mig-21M (ECM) - - - + + - - - -
ELINT / COMMAND POST
Boeing 707 **** 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Boeing 737 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
HS-748 4 - - - - - - - -
AEW
IL-76 Phalcon 2 - - - - - - 3 4 6
HS-748 ASP - 3 2 - - - - - -
RECCE / MR / SURVEY
Canberra PR.57 8 6 6 6 2 - - - -
Canberra PR.67 - 2 2 2 2 - - - -
Mig-25R 6 6 6 6 6 - - - -
Mig-25U 2 2 2 2 2 - - - -
Gulfstream IV SRA 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
Learjet 29 2 2 2 2 2 - - - -
TANKER
IL-78 - - - - 2 6 6 6 6
TRANSPORT
Boeing 707 - - - - - 4 4 4 4
Boeing 737 2 - - - - 4 4 4 4
Il-76 Gajraj 12 19 25 25 25 30 30 30 30
Il-214 MTA - - - - - - - + 45
An-32 Sutlej 108 105 105 105 105 122 122 122 122
An-12B 30 - - - - - - - -
BAe-748 32 29 28 28 28 64 64 64 64
BAe-748*** 24 28 28 28 28 - - - -
BAe-748 VIP 7 7 7 7 7 - - - -
Do-228 10 30 45 45 45 43 43 43 43
DHC-4 10 - - - - - - - -
DHC-3 10 - - - - - - - -
Embraer EMB-135BJ - - - - - 4 4 4 4
TRAINING
Advanced Jet Trainer
Hawk Mk 132AJT - - - - - 6 21 66 66
Hunter T.66 20 18 18 - - - - - -
Hunter F.56 20 20 20 - - - - - -
Intermediate Jet Trainer
HJT-36 IJT - - - - - - - 12 +12
HJT-16 Mk II Kiran II 57 56 56 56 56 84 84 84 84
HJT-16 Kiran I 120 120 120 120 120 - - - -
Primary Trainer
HPT-32 Deepak 20 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88
TS-11 Iskra 44 44 44 34 - - - - -
HT-2 60 - - - - - - - -
HELICOPTERS
ATTACK HEL
AAH - - - - - - - 22 22
LCH - - - - - - - 20 65
Mi-25/35 - 32 32 +20 ~40 20 20 - -
Mi-25 12 - - - - - - - -
TRANSPORT - HEAVY
20-ton Class HH - - - - - - - 12 12
Mi-26 4 10 10 10 10 4 4 - -
TRANSPORT - MEDIUM ******
Mi-171 - - - - - - 10 80 80
Mi-17 50 50 50 50 50 72 72 72 72
Mi-8 80 80 79 79 79 102 102 46 46
TRANSPORT - LIGHT
LOH - - - - - - - 133 133
Dhruv ALH - - - - 2 8 25 75 150
Chetak - - - - - 48 48 48 48
Cheetah - - - - - 24 24 24 24
Chetak / Cheetah + + + + +40 - - - -
TRAINING
Chetak 20 20 20 20 20 - - - -
Mi-24 - 2 2 2 2 - - - -
Mi-35 - 2 2 2 2 - - - -
UAV
Searcher Mk II - - + + + + + + +
MISSILES
ASM
Akash + - - - - - - - -
AM-39 Exocet + - + + + + + + +
AS-7 Kerry + + + + + + + + +
AS-11B + + + + + + + + +
AS-12 - + + + + + + + +
AS-17 Krypton - - + + + + + + +
AS-30 + + + + + + + + +
Sea Eagle + + + + + + + + +
AAM
AA-2 Atoll + + - - - - - - -
AA-7 Apex + + + + + + + + +
AA-8 Aphid - + + + + + + + +
AA-10 Alamo - + + + + + + + +
AA-11 Archer - + + + + + + + +
AA-12 Adder - + + + + + + + +
R-550 Magic + + + + + + + + +
Matra Super 530D - - - - + + + + +
Astra - - - - - - - + +
SAM
SA-2 - V-75 Divina 280 280 280 280 - - - - -
SA-3 - S-125 Pechora + + + + + + + + +
SA-5 - + + - - - - - -
SA-8B - - - - + + + + +
SA-10 - - + + - - - - -
SA-16 - - - - + + + + +
Akash - - - - - + + + +
LLQRM - - - - - - + + +
MR-SAM - - - - - - + + +
LR-SAM - - - - - - + + +
SSM
Prithvi SS250 - - - + + + + + +

Notes

    * - Between 1995 and 2008 according to the IISS military balance the IAF had one squadron operating between 6-10 Jaguar S(I) aircraft equipped with the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile dedicated to the Maritime Attack role.

    ** - Canberra B(I).58's used in the ECM role also had a secondary target towing mission, while TT.418's had a secondary ECM role.

    *** - While used in the training capacity these BAe-748's retained their cargo capacity and could be used in a secondary transport role.

    **** - The Indian Air Force is believed to operate at least one one Boeing 707 configured for ELINT duties and mainly targeted against Pakistan.

    ***** - There is evidently something defective with IISS counting of MiG-21 in the 2000-2005 timeframe. The 2008 number is from a high confidence local source. 

    		1995	2000	2002	2005	2008
MiG-21M/MF/PFMA 	144	69	55	81	72 
MiG-21FL 		34 	26	26	36	48

    ****** - There is evidently something defective with IISS counting of Mi-8 / Mi-17 in the 2005-2008 timeframe. There is a big jump in inventory with no reported sales in this timeframe. 

    	2005	2008
Mi-17	50	72 
Mi-8 	79	102

Sources: IISS The Military Balance, SIPRI Arms Transfers Database

 

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