Tracker-Current IAF Combat Aircraft Inventory

[Bhurki]

This thread intends to keep most feasible accurate track of current combat aircraft inventory and squadrons that are in active service with the Indian Air Force amid the forthcoming rapid decommissioning schedule of legacy aircraft like Mig-21, Mig-27.
Please post the numbers for each type of aircraft (along with variant and identification through production batch, tail number etc if possible)

 

[Bhurki]

The first challenge will be to know exactly how many Mig 21,27 are in service right now across all variants and, when and in what order are they suppossed to be decommissioned.

 

[binayak95]

The first challenge will be to know exactly how many Mig 21,27 are in service right now across all variants and, when and in what order are they suppossed to be decommissioned.

Especially since the last MiG21s delivered to the IAF were in 2003-04 even 05. The MiGs arent as old as we think them to be..

These are in essence the same ones that kicked USAF ass in the Cope exercises. Upgraded Bisons with better engines, better avionics, an exceptionally potent platform.

MiG27s will be gone by this year end - 1-2 Squadrons max.

Keep an eye on Su30 MKI squadrons as well - numbers are in flux. 300 ?

 

[Bhurki]

Especially since the last MiG21s delivered to the IAF were in 2003-04 even 05. The MiGs arent as old as we think them to be..

These are in essence the same ones that kicked USAF ass in the Cope exercises. Upgraded Bisons with better engines, better avionics, an exceptionally potent platform.

MiG27s will be gone by this year end - 1-2 Squadrons max.

Keep an eye on Su30 MKI squadrons as well - numbers are in flux. 300 ?

There are around 255 MKI delivered by now, Under two years worth of order remains... Total would not reach 300 as India hasnt cleared any additional buy of MKI, and total planned units as of now remains to be 272 spread across 14 squadrons.
Mig 27 'Bahadur' is already out, 2 sqd of Mig 27 UPG based in Jodhpur are slated for numberplating by year's end.

 

[Bhurki]

There are around 255 MKI delivered by now, Under two years worth of order remains... Total would not reach 300 as India hasnt cleared any additional buy of MKI, and total planned units as of now remains to be 272 spread across 14 squadrons.
Mig 27 'Bahadur' is already out, 2 sqd of Mig 27 UPG based in Jodhpur are slated for numberplating by year's end.

The numberplating mentioned is not accurate..
I took up a wrong thought while reading about Mig 27M/ML.
Also there are 6 remaining squadrons of Mig21
Bison-4
Bis-1
M/MF-1
One of the squadrons (not sure) of bis/M is suppossed to be numberplated before 2019 end.
All of the remaining are bound to retire by 2024 at latest

 

[vampyrbladez]

REQUESTING ALL MEMBERS NOT TO RESPOND!

VALUABLE INTEL COULD BE COMPROMISED!

 

[Bhurki]

REQUESTING ALL MEMBERS NOT TO RESPOND!

VALUABLE INTEL COULD BE COMPROMISED!

Funny.. I live next to an IAF base that has hosted both mig 21 and su 30 mki based squadrons.. All i aim to do here is keep track of available strength of IAF combat capacity since it all depends on how quickly the old planes are thrown out of service.
Say what you will.. This thread can never compromise any info even 1% as important as the ones that have been lost to enemy by some stupid officers getting honeytrapped.

 

[Narasimh]

Funny.. I live next to an IAF base that has hosted both mig 21 and su 30 mki based squadrons.. All i aim to do here is keep track of available strength of IAF combat capacity since it all depends on how quickly the old planes are thrown out of service.
Say what you will.. This thread can never compromise any info even 1% as important as the ones that have been lost to enemy by some stupid officers getting honeytrapped.

Wikipedia has the numbers at high level already... Serial numbers better be unknown IMO.
Wiki also gives some of the squadron locations and their operational bases if you want to discuss tactical role of these squadrons vis-a-vis their theatre of operations.

 

[vampyrbladez]

Funny.. I live next to an IAF base that has hosted both mig 21 and su 30 mki based squadrons.. All i aim to do here is keep track of available strength of IAF combat capacity since it all depends on how quickly the old planes are thrown out of service.
Say what you will.. This thread can never compromise any info even 1% as important as the ones that have been lost to enemy by some stupid officers getting honeytrapped.

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[aarav]

you look up parliament answers of MoD ,they generally tell what need to be told

 

[Bhurki]

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Wow, do you live in a dream? (Since you literally put up World War props) Enemy has access to high level sigint,elint etc. And talking has way less bandwidth to provide info than any of those. You do understand whatever we can talk about here has literally been general knowledge to enemies for decades now?
I repeat, as a keen observer of IAF and rooting for it, it has been a wish to understand what exact number of squadrons and aircraft do we really have, despite decades of sluggishness in our political environment to give importance to acquisition.. It pains everytime we get info about a crashing mig 21 and others of the like.
Besides how do you think something can be compromised over a thread when all the members talking about it are most likely amateur at best, and the ones who know won't likely speak?

 

[Bhurki]

you look up parliament answers of MoD ,they generally tell what need to be told

Parliament answers only when someone asks.. And as you know, our politicians aren't exactly adept at wanting to gauge the capabilities that IAF urgently requires, and also don't raise alarms as much as they should.. The old Migs are being dragged way out of their technical lifetimes just to keep the numbers of squadrons operational up. The reality being that most of them aren't even capable to successfully complete combat training sorties and we listen about instances like 'engine falling out of the plane', 'other parts dropping right out' etc and most horrendous ones causing the life of a pilot.
A discussion on current number of legacy aircraft then seems important as it'll at least alarm us to an extent as to how bad the situation really is.

 

[Bhurki]

Wikipedia has the numbers at high level already... Serial numbers better be unknown IMO.
Wiki also gives some of the squadron locations and their operational bases if you want to discuss tactical role of these squadrons vis-a-vis their theatre of operations.

It doesn't update quickly enough.. It still shows 244 mig 21 in operation which is obviously quite an old number. You can also check other numbers(MKI,Mig27), they are way out of what is likely to exist now..

 

[vampyrbladez]

Wow, do you live in a dream? (Since you literally put up World War props) Enemy has access to high level sigint,elint etc. And talking has way less bandwidth to provide info than any of those. You do understand whatever we can talk about here has literally been general knowledge to enemies for decades now?
I repeat, as a keen observer of IAF and rooting for it, it has been a wish to understand what exact number of squadrons and aircraft do we really have, despite decades of sluggishness in our political environment to give importance to acquisition.. It pains everytime we get info about a crashing mig 21 and others of the like.
Besides how do you think something can be compromised over a thread when all the members talking about it are most likely amateur at best, and the ones who know won't likely speak?

SIGINT aside even candid shots of troop movement and tail number are a bonanza for Pakis.

Please refrain from posting such images and sources unless heavily redacted. Chinks cracked down on freelance defence forum hobbyists who took pics and posted them online. Pray our guys don't have to do the same.

 

[vampyrbladez]

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[Bhurki]

SIGINT aside even candid shots of troop movement and tail number are a bonanza for Pakis.

Please refrain from posting such images and sources unless heavily redacted. Chinks cracked down on freelance defence forum hobbyists who took pics and posted them online. Pray our guys don't have to do the same.

Have you been to sinodefenceforum?
There's literally a thread that contains serialwise pictures of each plaaf aircraft with its tail number signifying its batch and production number( obvio other than the ones which are under testing and not yet numbered or some which are newly inducted ). I'm not asking for that level of preciseness but atleast we should be aware of the total number of active duty combat aircraft in real time. If not, whats the use of calling it defenceforumindia, why not call it gossipforumindia.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

@vampyrbladez
Dude, aren't going to share any classified info here. And the info we are going to post here, is already known by adversaries.

 

[vampyrbladez]

Have you been to sinodefenceforum?
There's literally a thread that contains serialwise pictures of each plaaf aircraft with its tail number signifying its batch and production number( obvio other than the ones which are under testing and not yet numbered or some which are newly inducted ). I'm not asking for that level of preciseness but atleast we should be aware of the total number of active duty combat aircraft in real time. If not, whats the use of calling it defenceforumindia, why not call it gossipforumindia.

Let it remain a surprise. Discretion is the better part of valour.

 

[veerJI]

Funny.. I live next to an IAF base that has hosted both mig 21 and su 30 mki based squadrons.. All i aim to do here is keep track of available strength of IAF combat capacity since it all depends on how quickly the old planes are thrown out of service.
Say what you will.. This thread can never compromise any info even 1% as important as the ones that have been lost to enemy by some stupid officers getting honeytrapped.

please walk into their office and asked them.
dont ask here..

 

[veerJI]

90% intell comes from the open sourcess like this forum or from gossiping ..
dont forget it was our chutiyam sulphate PM Morar ji who exposed our RAW agents in pakistan assigned to monitor paki nuclear program ...
by gossiping on phone,,