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 ...

currently operates seven Air Commands. Each command is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the rank of Air Marshal. The Air Force currently has over 60 air stations all over

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. These are grouped into seven commands: Western Air Command at

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...

, Eastern Air Command at

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a p ...

, Central Air Command at Prayagraj, Southern Air Command at

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

(Trivandrum), South Western Air Command at

Gandhinagar Gandhinagar (, ) is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the Industrial corridor between Delhi, the political capital of India, and ...

, Training Command at

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

and Maintenance Command at

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...

. The largest airbase is in Hindon,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. There are a number of newer air stations being built as well, in line with India's strategic doctrine. The

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

has some separate air stations for its aviation wing. Western Air Command is the largest Air Command. It operates sixteen air stations from Jammu & Kashmir,

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peak ...

and a couple of Air stations in

. Eastern Air Command operates fifteen air stations in eastern and north-eastern India. Central Air Command operates two air stations in

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...

and surrounding states of central India. Southern Air Command's tasks include protecting the vital shipping routes. It operates nine air stations in

Southern India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

and two in the

Andaman and Nicobar Islands The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated ...

. South Western Air Command is the front line of defence against Pakistan. This important command operates twelve air stations in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

, Maharashtra and

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

List of air stations

Note: Station and unit details are from Scramble.nl (2009) and outdated. Article needs to be revised/updated. The other Air Force stations that come under Maintenance Command are not air stations and are mostly signal units and station repair depots situated in different towns. Delhi, for example, has a few BRDs and SUs that come under Maintenance Command.

List of advance landing grounds

Along China border

Chinese Military The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

has an integrated

Western Theater Command The Western Theater Command ()is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its jurisdiction includes Sichuan, Tibet, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Chongqing. ...

across the whole LAC with India. Indian Military has divided the LAC into 3 sectors - the ''western sector'' across

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...

and the Chinese-held Aksai Chin, the ''central sector'' across

and

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in the North India, northern part of India. It is often referred to as t ...

states, and the ''eastern sector'' across

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligu ...

and Arunachal Pradesh states. Similarly, Indian Airforce has

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

-based Western Air Command, Prayagraj-based Central Air Command, and

-based Eastern Air Command to cover the LAC. *

** Daulat Beg Oldi ALG serves

Trans-Karakoram Tract The Trans-Karakoram Tract (), also known as the Shaksgam Tract ( ur, , translit=Shaksgām), is an area of approximately north of the Karakoram watershed, including the Shaksgam valley. The tract is administered by China as part of its Taxkorgan ...

(Shaksgam),

Aksai Chin Aksai Chin is a region administered by China as part of Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang and Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. It is claimed by India to be a part of its Leh District, Ladakh Union Territory. It is a part of ...

and Siachen Glacier. **

Fukche Fukche Advanced Landing Ground is an airfield in the Demchok sector of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It was built shortly before the 1962 Sino-Indian War and was revived in 2008. It is located adjacent to Koyul, 34 km northwest of Dem ...

ALG serves the Demchok sector. ** Nyoma ALG serves two separate noncontiguous but closely located disputed areas of Chumar North and Chumar South. **

Padum Padum (also known as Padam) is a town named after Padmasambhava. It is the only town and the administrative centre in Zanskar, Kargil district of Ladakh, India. It was historically one of the two main capitals of the Zanskar Kingdom, the other ...

ALGIndia plans AGL strips
Deccan Herald, 2014. Serves Ladakh LAC and Kargil LOC as a second line of defence airport. ** Thoise ALGParma valley ALG
cogitasia.com. ** Parma Valley ALG near Chushul (''proposed'') *

shares 250 km border with Tibet (China).Himachal Pradesh: Demand for airstrip in Spiti area
Times of India, 17 July 2020. ** Shimla Airport, civil airport available for military use. Serves Kaurik, Tashigang- Shipki La and Nelang- Pulam Sumda disputed area. ** Kullu-Manali Airport, civil airport available for military use. Serves Kaurik, Tashigang-Shipki La, and Nelang-Pulam Sumda disputed area. ** Kibber- Rangrik, surveyed but as of July 2020 no progress has been made. Will be closest ALG to Chumar, Kaurik, and Tashigang-Shipki La disputed area. *

has 350 km border with Tibet. **

Chinyalisaur Airport Chinyalisaur Airport, also known as Maa Ganga Airport and Dharasu Airport or Bharkot Airport, is located in Chinyalisaur of Uttarkashi district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The airport is situated 35 kilometres away from Uttarkashi and 8 ...

ALG serves disputed Barahoti and Nelang- Pulam Sumda sector. ITBP has 42 BoPs (border outposts) in Barahoti sector and Mana Pass area (Nelang-Pulam Sumda sector).Eyeing national security, Uttarakhand, ITBP to improve border infrastructure
Hindustan Times, 18 July 2020. ** Pithoragarh Airport ALG serves disputed Kalapani territory. *

** Pakyong Airport AGL serves Doklam disputed area. *

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It share ...

** Aalo ALG, formerly Along,IAF to have seven AGL in Arunachal Pradesh
Economic Times, 2018. ** Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground ALG ** Pasighat ALG **

Tawang Air Force Station Tawang Air Force station in Arunachal Pradesh in India has a functional heliport and fixed-wing "''Advanced Landing Ground"'' (AGL) capable of handling Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft.Tuting ALG **

Vijoynagar Vijaynagar (also known as Vijay Nagar and Vijoynagar) is the most remote town and circle headquarters in the Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, Vijaynagar has a population of 4,438. Location Vijayn ...

ALG ** Walong Advanced Landing Ground (Walong ALG) ** Ziro ALG ** Daporijo ALG,

** Alinye (ALG), Dibang Valley District,

Along Pakistan border

** Thoise ALG

Highway landing grounds

Bangarmau Airstrip Bangarmau Airstrip (Hindi: बांगरमऊ एयरस्ट्रिप) is an airstrip located at Bangarmau in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The airstrip is a part of the Agra Lucknow Expressway and belongs to the Indian Air ...

, on Agra Lucknow Expressway

References

External links

List of Indian Air Force stations at GlobalSecurity.org
{{Indian Air Force * *