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Sunday, February 22, 2026
TopicIndian Airforce

Topic: Indian Airforce

US set to issue letter of acceptance ‘soon’ for predator drone deal with India

US Congress yet to be formally notified of proposed deal under which Navy will get 15 MQ9B drones in maritime & anti-submarine warfare kits, Army & IAF will get 8 each of its land version.

IAF lost 152 pilots, 534 aircraft, in crashes in past 30 years

Data shared by aviation expert Anchit Gupta shows there were 20-30 accidents that resulted in aircraft loss for most of 1990s, 10-20 in 2000s & between single & double figures till this year.

‘Spooked’ Pakistan continues to keep air space closed for Indian aircraft

Pakistan closed its airspace after India’s Balakot strike, and has only been opening it in portions. Foreign airlines flying out of India are also avoiding it.

Russia to the rescue of IAF, offers 21 MiG-29s to boost strength

Russians will upgrade the legacy aircraft to the standard that India wants, say IAF sources. India currently has three squadrons of MiG-29.

Indian military divided on integration, but air force chefs are learning from Navy school

Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said the three services were moving towards jointness, but remained divided on the proposal for integrated theatre commands.

HAL doesn’t fly because Sukhois aren’t Rafales

If they were, the Great Indian Bureaucrat would be the Marshal of the Air Force. Bofors mummified our defence acquisitions, Rafale could entomb it now.

Actually, the Indian Air Force has never been without a Dassault aircraft

IAF has been using fighter jets made by Dassault, a French company since 1953. It deployed Mirage 2000 to drop laser-guided bombs during Kargil war.

PM Modi’s ‘gift’ to women in the military is ornamentalism, could magnify the problem

In modern militaries, women serve in all ranks with men. They earn their stripes, rise to be officers and command respect, without needing ‘gifts’.

By sea, by air and by land: Here is what makes Brahmos India’s finest strike weapon

Brahmos, the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile was successfully launched on November 22nd for the first time from Indian Air Force’s (IAF) frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal.

On Camera

Youth Congress, your foolish protest helped the Modi govt climb out of the AI summit hole

In tactical terms, the shirtless protest was worse than a self-goal. Suddenly, the fiascos of the AI Summit were forgotten, and the Youth Congress’s disruption became the issue.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

MoD, IAF agree on some exemptions to HAL for Tejas Mk1A, but no compromise on ‘must-have’ capabilities

IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.