The Indian Armed Forces consists of Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. These three arms and the Indian Coast Guard operate a combination of combat, reconnaissance, tanker, and transport aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI, assembled in India, forms the major inventory of the Indian combat aircraft. HAL Tejas, the indigenous fourth generation fighter aircraft, became part of the air force in 2015. Dassault Rafale is the latest entry into the air force, having been inducted in July 2020. Other combat aircraft include the Russian Mikoyan MiG-29, French Dassault Mirage, and British SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft. The armed forces operate a combination of various transport aircraft including tactical and strategic airlifters. Majority of this fleet is composed of the legacy Antonov An-32, Dornier 228, and Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft. In the 2010s, the air force inducted large American air-lifters such as Boeing C-17 and Lockheed Martin C-130J into the fleet. In 2023, it started inducting Airbus C-295 transport aircraft to replace the older aircraft in its fleet.
The Indian helicopter fleet consists of the French Aérospatiale Alouette III and SA 315B Lama, which were license built in India. The Russian made Mil Mi-17 and Mi-24 forms the major complement of the helicopter fleet. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has designed and built various helicopters locally for the usage of armed forces such as the HAL Dhruv, Prachand, and Rudra. Since the late 2020s, India has inducted American made Boeing AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook into the fleet. The Indian fleet also consists of various other reconnaissance and trainer aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles which include both local and imported planes.
The Indian Air Force was established in 1932. The air force operates about 90 air squadrons including 29 equipped with fighter aircraft. The air force maintains a fleet of combat, patrol, and Military transport aircraft, various helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles across more than 60 air bases in the country.
The Army Aviation Corps was formed on 1 November 1986. It operates a series of helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The air arm of the Indian Navy was established in 1948. The navy operates 26 air squadrons stationed across eight naval air stations that operate under the flag officers of the various naval commands. The air arm maintains a fleet of combat and maritime patrol aircraft, various helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Indian Coast Guard is a maritime armed force, which was formed in 1978. It is involved in the protection of the maritime and offshore assets, and protecting the oceanic boundaries. The coast guard operates various ships and aircraft including fixed wing reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters.