The Indian Air Force celebrated the 93rd anniversary of the IAF on October 8, 2025. This year, the parade was organized at Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, which was earlier held in Chennai (2024) and Prayagraj (2023).

The country celebrated the 93rd anniversary of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on October 8, 2025. This year, the parade was organized at Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, which was earlier held in Chennai (2024) and Prayagraj (2023).

Establishment of the Indian Air Force

Established on October 8, 1932, the Indian Air Force (IAF) began a vision of air power that shaped the defense of the country for decades to come. The IAF’s first operational flight took to the skies on April 1, 1933.
The motto of the Indian Air Force is ‘Nabhaḥ Sparshaṃ Dīptam’ (Touch the sky with Glory), which is taken from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
India’s defense problems were reassessed in 1939 by the Chatfield Committee, which proposed a plan to establish five flights on a voluntary basis to assist in the defense of major ports.
On this occasion, Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh paid tribute to the heroes at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.
Although it initially included only a few aircraft and personnel, over the decades it has evolved into the world’s fourth-largest air force, playing vital roles in various military operations and humanitarian missions.

DRDO and the three services unveiled ‘IRSA 1.0’ to standardize military communication

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) and the three services, launched the Indian Radio Software Architecture (IRSA) Standard 1.0 on October 7, 2025, to enable interoperability in military communications.
It was released during a national workshop held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi.
IRSA is a comprehensive software specification for Software Defined Radio (SDR) that defines standardized interfaces, application programming interfaces, execution environments, and waveform portability mechanisms.

Beginning of Indian Radio Software Architecture

The IRSA initiative began in 2021 when the critical role of SDRs in modern military communication was highlighted and the need for a national software standard was recognized.
A core technical team led by DRDO started work in 2022 in collaboration with the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) and the three services to understand operational and user requirements.
After extensive review and stakeholder consultations, IRSA Version 1.0 was approved, becoming India’s first national specification defining a standardized software architecture for Software Defined Radios.

Indian peacekeepers honored by UNISFA for dedicated service

Indian peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) were recently honored for their outstanding service in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan.
In a formal medal parade ceremony, UNISFA Acting Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Robert Yo Afram commended the dedication and professionalism of the Indian Battalion (INDBATT).
The Abyei region is a border area between South Sudan and Sudan that was granted “special administrative status” by the Abyei Conflict Resolution Protocol (Abyei Protocol) of 2004 under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War.
On June 27, 2011, the Security Council authorized the deployment of a peacekeeping force in the disputed Abyei region, which lies along the northern and southern borders of Sudan and is claimed by both sides.