Prepared to thwart misadventure of any enemy nation: IAF chief

The Indian Air Force is fully prepared to give a befitting reply to "misadventures" attempted by any enemy nation, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said here on Wednesday.

Attending an aerial display on the occasion of 'Vijay Diwas' to celebrate India's win over Pakistan in 1971, Singh said the IAF has been improving its stealth and strategy continuously on the basis of past experiences.

"We are totally prepared to give them (enemy nations) a bloody nose if they go for any kind of misadventure," he told reporters here.


India, particularly the IAF, is ready to fight a 'two front' war if any kind of eventuality arises, Singh asserted.

The IAF chief warmly reminisced its contributions during the 1971 war, and highlighted the crucial steps taken that led to India's victory.

"The way the Indian Air Force stood rock solid and delivered what was expected - whether it was during the day operations in November, the final blows or the attack on the Governor's House in Bangladesh - it decisively brought the war to an end," Singh said.

In those 13 days of swift action by the Indian armed forces, Singh said he saw Pakistan buckling under pressure and calling for a ceasefire.

"The operation was not only a big success for the IAF, but also a major triumph for jointmanship. The kind of operations planned, like river crossings or air drops, wouldn't have been possible without the close coordination between the Army and the Air Force," he said.

The manner in which the three services operated together, with the Navy also participating actively, taught a very valuable lesson in jointmanship - that joint operations can secure a war in a major way, the IAF chief said.

"I am happy to say that the Indian Air Force has continued to train and equip itself based on those lessons," he said.

Earlier in the day, the IAF commemorated its historic 1971 war victory with a spectacular aerial display at Air Force Station Mohanbari in Dibrugarh.

The day-long celebrations, organised by the Eastern Air Command, captivated the public, military and civil dignitaries, air veterans and hundreds of enthusiastic school children.

The aerial display featured some of IAF's most potent aircrafts, including the Sukhoi Su-30 fighters, Dornier Do-228 surveillance aircraft, Antonov An-32 transport planes, and both Chinook heavy-lift and Mi-17 helicopters, officials said.

The event also featured an exhibition and a special movie release.