The Indian Air Force Band, known officially as No. 1 Air Force Band is a full-time military band of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

. It is considered to be the primary musical unit of the IAF, currently stationed in

Jalahalli Jalahalli is a suburb in northern part of Bengaluru is one of the greenest areas of Bengaluru. It is mainly divided into Jalahalli East and Jalahalli West. Gangamma Circle is the junction between the roads connecting Jalahalli East, Jalahalli ...

. Outside the symphony orchestra, other military ensembles have included the following: parade band, jazz ensemble, and vocalist group. It falls under the command of the Directorate of Organisation of the IAF.

History

It was the first Indian air force band to be formed, being established on 10 June 1944 under the name of the RIAF Central Band. It was based in Kohat and consisted of one officer accompanied by 47 airmen. Its composition was order by Wing Commander G.R. Bowler, the then Under Secretary at the War Department of British India. It gave its first performance at a military parade in Ambala on 13 February 1946. After the

Independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

occurred, it came to Jalahalli in Bangalore in 1947. In 2005, the band became the first Asian member of the International Military Music Society based in Norway.

Air Warriors Symphony Orchestra

The Air Warrior Symphony Orchestra (AWSO) is the

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

unit of the IAF Band. Formed in June 2002, the AWSO consists of hand-picked musicians from the seven IAF Bands across the country. The AWSO has performed at many concerts across the world in countries like France, Italy, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangladesh as well as at venues such as India Gate and Vijay Chowk. It also has taken part in domestic events such as the IAF Platinum Jubilee Tattoo in March 2007. In 2014, the AWSO, under the direction of Squadron Leader Gopalakrishnan Jayachandran, engaged in a joint performance with the

Central Band of the Royal Air Force The Central Band of the Royal Air Force is an RAF regular band and is part of Royal Air Force Music Services. The motto of the band is ''Aere Invicti'' (Latin for "Invincible with the Brass"). History The Central Band of the RAF was formed in ...

. 5 years later in 2019, the band performed for the first time with the visiting United States Air Force Band of the Pacific. In 2007, the ASWO taught Hindu compositions to musicians from the

Afghan National Army Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia * Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity **Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

, during which training was provided to 10 soldiers for six months in Bangalore. The title of "Air Warrior" is also reserved for the

Air Warrior Drill Team The Air Warrior Drill Team "Subroto" (AWDT) is the ceremonial drill team of Indian Air Force, being a platoon-sized formation. It was founded in 2004 as the first of precision exhibition drill unit of its kind in the Indian Armed Forces. It falls u ...

Structured events

The band performs at Presentation of Colours as well as the annual

Delhi Republic Day parade The Delhi Republic Day parade is the largest and most important of the parades marking the Republic Day (India), Republic Day celebrations in India. The parade takes place every year on 26 January at Rajpath, New Delhi. It is the main attractio ...

on the Rajpath. In the latter parade, the band has come in a 75-member contingent and has been led by Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar for the last 12 years. It also performs at the Beating Retreat on Vijay Chowk, performing marches such as the ''Air Force Colour'', ''Inspirato'', and ''Subroto''. It frequently performs at during State visits to New Delhi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, hosted by the President of India. It has been present at prestigious international events in Germany, Finland,

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and Bangladesh.

References

{{reflist Military units and formations established in 1944 Indian Air Force Indian military bands Musical groups established in 1944 1944 establishments in India Air force bands