From New Weapon System Branch To Women Agniveers; Indian Air Force To Witness Major Changes

A new pattern of combat uniform for IAF personnel was also launched at the Air Force Day parade held at the Air Force Station in Chandigarh.

New Delhi: Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari on Sunday announced that the Indian Air Force (IAF) will get a new weapon system branch. Chaudhari, who was speaking on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Indian Air Force (IAF), said that this was the first time since Independence that a new operational branch has been created in the IAF.

A new pattern of combat uniform for IAF personnel was also launched at the Air Force Day parade held at the Air Force Station in Chandigarh.

The Air Chief Marshal also said at the parade that they are planning to induct female Agniveers next year. Talking about the theme of the 90th anniversary of Air Force Day– ‘IAF: Transforming for the Future’ – the Air Chief Marshal said that it emphasises on the air force’s need to transfigure itself into a ‘contemporary and future-ready force’.

What is New Weapon System Branch?

1. The weapon system branch will essentially be for manning of force specialised streams of surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, remotely piloted aircraft, and weapon system operators in twin and multi-crew aircraft.
2. The Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said that the move will help the government to save more than Rs 3,400 crore due to the reduced spending on flying training. Several specialised cadre officers will be inducted to handle the latest weapon systems, reports Hindustan Times.
3. The weapon system branch will have four sub-streams — flying, remote, intelligence and surface.
4. The flying stream will comprise system operators in twin-seat or multi-crew aircraft.
5. The remote stream will include officers for remotely-piloted drones or aircraft.

According to a Moneycontrol report, the IAF will employ “image intelligence analysts, information warfare specialists and signal intelligence operators for remotely-piloted aircraft and space-based systems” for the intelligence stream, reports Moneycontrol.

The Indian Air Force announced the creation of the Weapon System branch, a new branch for the operational utilisation of the latest weapon systems

Keep following us for more updates on the WS Branch in the Indian Air Force.#IndianAirForce #DISHAbyIndianAirForce #WeaponSystem pic.twitter.com/oigaRdwjRf

— DISHA by Indian Air Force (@CareerinIAF) October 8, 2022

Female Agniveers in IAF

The Air Chief Marshal, at the parade, said that they are planning to induct female Agniveers next year. “Creation of infrastructure is in progress and streamlining of trade structure is being finalised,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

“We have changed our operational training methodology to ensure each Agniveer is equipped with the right skills and knowledge to start their career in the Air Force. In December this year, we would be inducting 3,000 Agniveer Vayu for their initial training. This number will only go up in the years to come to ensure adequate staffing,” PTI quoted the IAF chief as saying.

Self-reliance

The IAF chief also highlighted that the modern armed forces have to be sufficiently self-reliant to ensure minimum disruptions. “Towards this, Atmanirbharta and Make in India is a step in the right direction,” he said.

#IAF gets new Weapon System Branch for officers after approval from Govt for manning four specialised streams of Surface to Surface missiles, Surface to Air Missiles, Remotely Piloted Aircraft and Weapon System Operators in twin and multi crew aircraft.#iafday pic.twitter.com/1cer44Nywk

— Neeraj Rajput (@neeraj_rajput) October 8, 2022

Citing AFNET (communication network set up), the IACCS, and e-MMS as examples of IAF’s commitment to self-reliance, Chaudhari said, “The LCA, ALH, Akash surface-to-air missile, Astra BVR, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), and Brahmos are a few examples of the indigenous hardware that has already been inducted and deployed in the force.”

Notably, the newly inducted indigenously-built LCH, ‘Prachand’, will feature today during the Air Force Day fly-past at the Sukhna Lake complex in Chandigarh.