Western Air Command (India)

Western Air Command, Indian Air Force पश्चिमी वायु कमान, भारतीय वायु सेना
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Founded	July 22, 1949
Country	India
Branch	Indian Air Force
Type	Operational Air Command
Role	Air Defence, OCA, Offensive Ground Support, Civilian Relief.
Headquarters	New Delhi
Motto	Sanskrit: Akasha Pasmatsoma
Engagements	1962 Sino-Indian War, 1971 India-Pakistan War, Operation Meghdoot
Commanders
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief(AOC-in-C)	Air Marshal SB Deo, AVSM, VM, VSM
Notable commanders	Air Marshal MSD Wollen Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis

The Western Air Command (WAC) is the regional command of Indian Air Force headquartered in New Delhi. It is the largest and most important Air Command of the IAF, comprising sixteen Air Force Bases (AFBs), and is responsible for aerial defence of North India. The current Commander is Air Marshal S.S Deo, WAC.

WAC's Area of Responsibility extends from Kashmir to Rajasthan, covering the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi and some parts of Uttar Pradesh.

History

WAC was raised in 1947 as the No. 1 Operational Group which controlled all the flying units of Indian Air Force, including the flying training units. On July 22, 1949, the No. 1 Operational Group was re-designated as the Operational Command. In 1958, The rank of the Commanding Officer of Operational Command was upgraded from Air Commodore to Air Vice Marshal and later, to the rank of Air Marshal.

In the aftermath of the India-China War of 1962, the IAF began the process of demarcation of specific areas of responsibility, and splitting up of the flying Corps into various operational air commands. On June 10, 1963, Operational Command assumed its present name of Headquarters Western Air Command.

Due to its geographical location in the crucial North Indian region, surrounded by Pakistan to the west and China to the East, WAC has been involved in all major operations in India since independence, and has been the hub-centre of all operational activities during any operation.

The IAF Western Air Command is engaged in air logistics operations to supply troops deployed at Siachen Glacier. These operations are undertaken from the Siachen Forward Air Base, using Mi-17, HAL Dhruv and HAL Cheetah helicopters.

The Western Air Command has been the major operational command involved in most of the war fought by India, including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, Sino-Indian War in 1962, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, Operation Pawan (1986) in Sri Lanka and Operation Safed Sagar during the 1999 Kargil War.

Organization

Western Air Command is headquartered at Subroto Park, New Delhi. It is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, WAC, of the rank of Air Marshal. The current AOC-in-C WAC is Air Marshal S.B Deo AVSM VM VSM Under the C-in-C come the Senior Air Staff Officer, Senior Maintenance Staff Officer and Senior Officer in Charge of Administration, who are of the ranks of Air Vice Marshal or Air Commodore. They handle the day-to-day activities of the Command and act as the liaison between the various Wings.

WAC also has a forward headquarters located at Chandigarh near the Army's Western Command. There is an Air Operations Group, formed in 1982, located at Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, which is principally tasked with the defence of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

No. 224 Squadron, Indian Air Force was raised in July 1983 at Adampur and operated with WAC until its disbandment in 2007. Squadrons include:

Squadron	Base	Equipment	Notes
No. 41 Squadron IAF	Palam Air Force Station	Avro 748M	No. 3 Wing
No. 3 Squadron IAF	Ambala Air Force Station	Mig-21	No. 7 Wing
No. 5 Squadron IAF	Ambala Air Force Station	Jaguar IS	No. 7 Wing
No. 14 Squadron IAF	Ambala Air Force Station	Jaguar IS	No. 7 Wing
No. 47 Squadron IAF	Adampur Air Force Station	Mig-29	No. 8 Wing
No. 223 Squadron IAF	Adampur Air Force Station	Mig-29	No. 8 Wing
No. 25 Squadron IAF	Chandigarh Air Force Station	Il-76/AN-32	No. 12 Wing
No. 48 Squadron IAF	Chandigarh Air Force Station	AN-32	No. 12 Wing
No. 126 Helicopter Flight, IAF	Jodhpur Air Force Station	Mi-26	No. 12 Wing
No. 108 Squadron IAF	Pathankot Air Force Station	Mig-21M	No. 18 Wing
No. 114 Helicopter Unit, IAF	Leh Air Force Station	HAL Cheetah	No. 23 Wing IAF
No. 130 Helicopter Unit, IAF	Leh Air Force Station	Mi-17	No. 23 Wing IAF
No. 131 Helicopter Flight, IAF	Hindon Air Force Station	HAL Cheetah	No. 28 Wing
No. 181 Helicopter Flight, IAF	Hindon Air Force Station	Avro 748M	No. 28 Wing
No. 117 Helicopter Unit, IAF	Sarsawa Air Force Station	HAL Dhruv	No. 30 Wing
No. 152 Helicopter Unit, IAF	Sarsawa Air Force Station	Mi-17	No. 30 Wing
No. 17 Squadron IAF	Bathinda Air Force Station	Mig-21M	No. 34 Wing
No. 132 Helicopter Flight, IAF	Udhampur Air Force Station	HAL Cheetah	No. 39 Wing
No. 153 Helicopter Unit, IAF	Udhampur Air Force Station	Mi-17	No. 39 Wing
No. 21 Squadron IAF	Sirsa Air Force Station	Mig-21	No. 45 Wing

Air Bases

See also: List of Indian Air Force Bases

_Adampur

_Ambala

_Amritsar

_Awantipur

_Bhatinda

_Chandigarh

_Halwara

_Hindon

_Leh

_{Palam, Delhi}

Pathankot

_Sarsawa

_Siachen

_Sirsa

_Srinagar

_Udhampur

Location of WAC Air Bases

WAC has been assigned 10 permanent Air Force Stations (AFS)and 6 Forward Base Support Units (FBSUs), including the strategic Forward Air Base at Siachen. Along with these, WAC also has over 200 operational bases, Advance Landing Grounds (ALGs), and Operational centres placed under its command.

The Air Force Stations/Wings under WAC control are:

Permanent Air Force Stations (AFS)

Base	ICAO	Runway	Elevation	Coordinates	State/Territory
Adampur AFS	VIAX	31/13	776 ft / 236 m		Punjab
Ambala AFS	VIAM	12L/30R 12R/30L	900 ft / 274 m		Haryana
Awantipur AFS	VIAW	12/30	5,400 ft / 1,646 m		Jammu & Kashmir
Chandigarh AFS	VICG	11/29	1,012 ft / 308 m		Chandigarh
Halwara AFS	VIHX	13/31	790 ft / 241 m		Punjab
Hindon AFS	VIDX	09/27	700 ft / 213 m		Uttar Pradesh
Leh AFS	VILH	06/24 07R/25L 07L/25R	10,682 ft/ 3,256 m		Jammu & Kashmir
Palam AFS	VIDP	09/27 10/28	776 ft / 237 mts		Delhi
Pathankot AFS	VIPK	01/19	1,017 ft / 310 m		Punjab
Srinagar AFS	VISR	13/31	5,458 ft / 1,664 m		Jammu & Kashmir

Forward Base Support Units (FBSU)

Base	ICAO	Runway	Elevation	Coordinates	State/Territory
Amritsar AFS	VIAR	16/34	755 ft / 230 m		Punjab
Bhatinda AFS	VIBT	13/31	700 ft /213 m		Punjab
Sarsawa AFS	VISP	09/27	891 ft / 272 m		Uttar Pradesh
Siachen Glacier AFS			22,000 ft / 6,706 m		Jammu & Kashmir
Sirsa AFS	VISA	05/23	650 ft / 198 m		Haryana
Udhampur AFS	VIUX	18/36	1,950 ft / 594 m		Jammu & Kashmir

External links

• Western Air Command at IAF Official Website.
• Bharat Rakshak, IAF Command Structure