Indian Air Force restructures, deploys more air warriors to boost fighter squadron strength by 20 per cent

New Delhi: While Indian Air Force (IAF) is inducting 36 French Rafale jets and the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to boost its fighter squadron strength, the force under the leadership of Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria is also undertaking a major restructuring of its highly trained and motivated personnel to boost its war-fighting units. The IAF has in recent months enhanced the strength of its combat aircraft squadrons by 20 per cent to help them prepare better for operational tasks.

"More than 2,000 air warriors and technicians have been provided to the fighter squadrons in the last few months. These personnel have been drawn from air headquarters and command headquarters where they were not performing technical duties," top IAF sources told ANI.

More air warriors in the fighter squadrons would help in easing the workload on the existing personnel and also help in enhancing the safety in flying operations, they said. The restructuring in the service is being monitored by the Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. The number of people who have been taken out from headquarters and non-operational tasks is over 2,000. Bhadauria took over as the Chief of Air Staff on October 1, 2019.

Apart from restructuring in the headquarters, the IAF has also implemented strict rules in appointment of support staff for flag officers in service. The IAF has been strengthening its fighting capabilities in the last one year after the Balakot operations in Pakistan on February 26, 2019, as it had acquired weapons including air to air missiles and air to ground weapon systems such as the Spice 2000 bombs with greater destruction capabilities and Strum Ataka anti-tank guided missiles.

IAF was also the top spender among the three services in emergency powers given for the acquisition of weapons and spares in the aftermath of the Balakot aerial strikes in which Mirage 2000 jets had bombed a Jaidh-e-Mohammad terror group's training camp deep inside Pakistan following the dastardly attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama killing over 40 troopers

IAF strength also received a major boost after the induction of its Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft squadron in southern India at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu and is likely to get further strengthened with induction of another Tejas combat aircraft squadron in Sulur.