 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Other name | AFTC |
|---|---|
| Motto | Gyanen Shobhamahe |
| Type | Military college |
| Established | 4 July 1949 |
| Commandant | Air Commodore Ashutosh Shrivastava |
| Location | , , India |
Air Force Technical College is in Bangalore, India.
Air Force Technical College (AFTC) was established on 4 July 1949, in collaboration with Air Service Training Co. (Hamble), U.K. with Gp.Capt. J Beaumont CBE, DFC, as the first Commandant. The college was then named as Technical Training College (TTC). The entire staff of the college were officers and technicians from the Royal Air Force (RAF). The first principal of the college was Gp.Capt. Vaghuan Phillips, who was succeeded by Gp. Capt. Thripps. Technical staff included Sir. William Houghton - the co-inventor of Radar, Mr. B.H.Middleton of Smiths Aircraft Instruments U.K., Mr. Holbon of Rolls-Royce and Mr. Sturggeon of de Havilland. Mr.Porter headed the Department of Basic Engineering Technology.
Technicians were trained for the IAF from 1949, after India became independent. The youths were aged between 15 and 17.5. The streams were divided into seven categories: airframes, aero engines, aircraft instruments, electricals, wireless, radar, and armaments, and allotted according to the individual's aptitude. The ab initio training was for a period of two years as aircraft apprentice followed by one-year practical training at the various air force flying and maintenance establishments in the country after which they returned to the college for advanced training in their disciplines for another year. However this was modified after the sixth entry of apprentices passed out and the later batches were trained for the entire four years at the A.F.T.C., after the completion of which they passed out as full aircraft technicians in Group I trades with a liability to render 15 years regular and 9 years reserve service. Some of them later qualified and rose to the position of Air Marshal in their respective branches of specialization or branched off to other flying arms like pilots, navigators, flight signalers, flight engineers, flight gunners. Many left the IAF to become engineers, technocrats and managers in civilian establishments. Some of them joined the Indian Army during the Indo-China war and rose to the rank of colonel in technical branches. The first apprentice who graduated from the college in 1951 carrying the service No. 400001 by name G.K. Pillay belonged to the Aero Engines group. Most of the graduates from AFTC during the course of employment in the IAF were trained in foreign countries like UK, US, Germany, France and Russia on specialised equipment and aircraft.
In commemoration of completion of 60 years since the passing-out of the I batch of technicians, an alumni association called "Afticans" was formed in 2011 led by G. Sivasankara Pillai (14th Rad.).Annual Reunions are held where the former Apprentices along with their family, who are now in the seventies and eighties congregate to savour their nostalgia! The 10th Reunion meeting was held at AFTC, presided over by the incumbent commandant Air.Cmde. C.R.Mohan V.S.M. when 22 octogenarian ex-apprentices were honoured, followed by a gala lunch at the aircraft hangar on 4 July 2017 coinciding with the college raising day. The speech of the commandant entailing a visionary approach for the future growth of the college was greatly appreciated by the veterans.
After TTC was renamed as AFTC on 1 January 1957, Gp. Capt M.J. Kriplani MBE took over as the first Indian commandant of the college. AFTC is the alma mater for all technical officers of the Indian Air Force. In December 1962, during the national emergency, the Apprentices' Training Scheme was terminated with the 22nd Entry and the Direct entry officers' training was accelerated. In Dec 1971 the four technical branches of Tech (Engines), Tech (Elect), Tech (Signals) & Tech (Armament) were integrated into two i.e., Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) and Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) designated as AE(M) and AE(L). The first batch to graduate under this scheme commenced their training in Jan 1972. The college is equipped with many Engineering and Science laboratories, fighter, bomber, and transport aircraft, and has an airfield.
The crest of the college depicts a mechanical gear and emanating electrical waves superimposed by torch bearing an eternal flame. The President of India approved the crest on 8 Aug 1962. The motto on the crest is 'Gyanen Shobhamahe' (it is knowledge through which we find pride in ourselves). The college was awarded the "Presidential Colors" by Pratibha Patil on 12 November 2008.
Milestones:
Some of the important events in the history of AFTC are given below:- (a) September 1951 - 1st Entry Passing out-Parade of Apprentices From T.T.C.
(b) 1 April 1954 - First Indian Chief of Staff Air Marshal Mukherjee takes salute at the Passing out Parade held in the college air field of 2nd entry Con-Course and 6th entry Apprentices.
(c) April 1956. Air Services Training Ltd.,(Hamble) hand over the training responsibilities to Indian staff.
(d)1 January 1957 - name changed to Air Force Technical College
(e) March 1958 - first Foreign Officer (Indonesian) joins
(f) August 1962 - President of India approves crest of AFTC Gyanen Shobhamahe'
(g) December 1962 - aircraft apprentices scheme comes to a close
(h) April 1993 - first batch of 25 women officers are inducted
(j) July 1999 - golden jubilee year celebrated
(k) August 2003 - establishment of Software Development Centre
(l) 26 May 2005 - Chief of Air Staff inaugurates Back- drop to Parade Ground
(m) 1 April 2006 - commencement of first distance education course
(n) 12 November 2008 - Presidential Colors awarded
(O) 14 November 2014 - surviving apprentices from 1st to 22nd entry visit. The commandant hosts a tea party in their honour
(p) 11 November 2016 - Presentation of rolling trophies and mementos for being awarded to future engineers by ex-apprentices
(q) 4 July 2017 - graduates celebrate the college raising day with a ceremonial lunch after a convention in the auditorium
The stated aim of the college is to produce officers of the highest class with thorough professional excellence.
| Rank | Name | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Gp Capt | J Beaumont CBE DFC | July 1949 - July 1956 |
| Gp Capt | MJ Kriplani MBE | July 1956 - June 1961 |
| Gp Capt | K Narshiman | July 1961 - August 1965 |
| Gp Capt | HD Mehra | July 1966 - September 1966 |
| Gp Capt | RJ Hermon | November 1966 - January 1970 |
| Gp Capt | JN Jungalwalla | January 1970 - June 1972 |
| Air Cmde | SS Sehgal | June 1972 - January 1977 |
| Air Cmde | Satinder Singh | January 1977 - June 1981 |
| Air Cmde | SK Verma | July 1981 - January 1983 |
| Air Cmde | S Venkatraman | January 1983 - November 1983 |
| Air Cmde | S Roy | December 1983 - March 1985 |
| Air Cmde | CL Kotwal | March 1985 - September 1986 |
| Air Cmde | JP Dhir | October 1986 - July 1988 |
| Air Cmde | S Srinivasan VSM | August 1988 - January 1990 |
| Air Cmde | PN Bajaj | January 1990 - April 1991 |
| Air Cmde | SS Gupta VSM | April 1991 - February 1992 |
| Air Cmde | K Badrinarayanan VSM | February 1992 - August 1994 |
| Air Cmde | SKS Sitaram VSM | September 1994 - May 1996 |
| Air Cmde | DS Gotra | November 1996 - December 1997 |
| Air Cmde | SK Jindal | January 1998 - September 2000 |
| Air Cmde | RC Kakar VSM | September 2000 - July 2002 |
| Air Cmde | SL Sharma VSM | July 2002 - July 2004 |
| Air Cmde | Kamal Singh AVSM | September 2004 - September 2006 |
| Air Cmde | Rajiv Mital VSM | September 2006 - November 2008 |
| Air Cmde | P Kanakraj VSM | December 2008 - August 2009 |
| Air Cmde | AK Paul VSM | August 2009 - Feb 2012 |
| Air Cmde | Alok Singh | Feb 2012- Dec 2013 |
| Air Cmde | MK Guleria VSM | Dec 2013- Dec 2014 |
| Air Cmde | PK Shrivastava VSM | Dec 2014- Mar 2016 |
| AVM | PK Shrivastava VSM | Apr 2016 - Apr 2016 |
| Air Cmde | CR Mohan VSM | May 2016 - Feb 2019 |
| AVM | CR Mohan VSM | Feb 2019 - Feb 2019 |
| Air Cmde | Biji Philip VSM | Feb 2019 - Aug 2021 |
| Air Cmde | Sameer Kalode VSM | Sep 2021- Nov 2022 |
| Air Cmde | Ratnesh Gupta VSM | Nov2022-Dec2023 |
| Air Cmde | Ashutosh Shrivastava | Dec 2023 - Till date |
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India's aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal. After India gained independence from United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of the Dominion of India. With the transition to a republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.
Surya Kiran is an aerobatics demonstration team of the Indian Air Force. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996 and is a part of the No. 52 Squadron of the Indian Air Force. The team is based at Bidar Air Force Station in Karnataka and has performed numerous demonstrations. The squadron was initially composed of the HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 trainer aircraft. The team was suspended in February 2011 and was re-established with BAE Hawk Mk.132 aircraft in 2015.
No. 1 School of Technical Training is the Royal Air Force's aircraft engineering school. It was based at RAF Halton from 1919 to 1993, as the Home of the Aircraft Apprentice scheme. The Aircraft Apprentice scheme trained young men in the mechanical trades for aircraft maintenance, the graduates of which were the best trained technicians in the RAF and would usually progress to Senior NCO ranks. However, ninety one ex-apprentices went on to achieve Air Rank. Many more became commissioned officers, including Sir Frank Whittle "father of the jet engine", who completed his apprenticeship at RAF Cranwell, before the move to RAF Halton. Graduates of the Aircraft Apprentice scheme at RAF Halton are known as Old Haltonians.
Idris Hasan Latif, PVSM was a former air officer in the Indian Air Force. He served as the 10th Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 1978 to 1981. After retiring from the air force, he served as 11th Governor of Maharashtra from 1982 to 1985.
RAF Locking was a Royal Air Force station near the village of Locking and about 3 miles (4.8 km) from Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. During the period 1939 to 2000, the station trained tens of thousands of engineers in the maintenance of aircraft then radar, radio and computers.
Indian Air Force Academy, Dundigal is a Defence Service training institute located in Medchal-Malkajgiri district 43 km (27 mi) from Hyderabad, in the Indian state of Telangana.
The Indian Air Force Test Pilot School is a unit of the Indian Air Force (IAF) that evaluates aircraft and systems for induction into user organisations. Most new aircraft types and major airborne systems must have ASTE's stamp of approval to be considered fit for service in India. While many countries have testing facilities of one kind or the other, training of flight test personnel is not often imparted in them. ASTE's Air Force Test Pilots School (AFTPS) is only the fifth such institution in the world.
Arup Raha, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, is an Indian Air Force veteran and was the 21st Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force and served from 31 December 2013 to 31 December 2016. He was also the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, a post occupied by India's senior-most military officer, who advises the government and ensures jointsmanship in the armed forces. Currently, he is the Chancellor of Assam University.
Air Marshal Ramaswamy Rajaram, DFC (1917–1969) was a senior officer in the Indian Air Force. He died in harness while serving as the Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force. He was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
College of Air Warfare (CAW) is a defence service training institution of the Indian Air Force. The college conducts courses and programmes in the art of Joint Warfare, with special emphasis on employment of Air Power. The functional and the administrative control of the college is with the Training Command of the IAF. The current Commandant of the college is Air Vice Marshal Manish Khanna
Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgavkar, PVSM, MVC was a former Air officer in the Indian Air Force. He served as the 9th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force from 1 February 1976 to 31 August 1978.
The Flying Instructors School or FIS is a training institution of the Indian Air Force. The FIS trains operational pilots of the Indian Armed Forces and friendly foreign countries to be flying instructors. Pilots of the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign countries join and graduate from the School as Qualified Flying Instructor. It is based at Air Force Station Tambaram, in the suburb of Chennai.
Air Marshal Jasbir Walia PVSM, VM, VSM, ADC is a former air officer of the Indian Air Force. He last served as the Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command from 1 August 2016 to 31 March 2019. Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 1979, Walia has held several important appointments as a commanding officer, at Air Headquarters, at the headquarters of various commands of the Indian Air Force (IAF), as an attaché, and has also served as an instructor and as a deputy commandant of various training academies.
Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, is a retired Indian Air Force officer, who served as the Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, having assumed office on 30 September 2019 after the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa. He retired on 30 September 2021 and was succeeded by Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
In the Indian Armed Forces women are allowed to join mainly in combat service support branches and in non combatant roles. The Indian Air Force had 13.09% female officers in 2018 and 8.50% female officers in 2014; the Indian Navy had 6% female officers in 2018 and 3% female officers in 2014 and the Indian Army had 3.80% female officers in 2018 and 3% female officers in 2014. In 2020, three officers had the rank of lieutenant-general or equivalent, all in the Medical Services. In May 2021, 83 women were inducted as sepoys for the first time in the Indian Army's Corps of Military Police. On 30 March 2023, 273 women were inducted in the Indian Navy as sailos for the first time in the history of the Indian Navy, total 2,585 agniveers passed out after successful completion of training from INS Chilka. The Indian Air Force got airwomen for the first time in its history on 7 March 2024 as 153 female agniveers passed out from the Airmen Training School, Belagavi with 2,127 male agniveers.
The Military Institute of Technology (MILIT) is a tri-services training institution of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of India. Located at Pune, it trains selected officers of the three services of Indian Armed Forces and officers from friendly foreign countries for command and staff appointments. It conducts the Defence Services Technical Staff Course (DSTSC) for officers Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Airforce. The institute has a faculty of senior officers from all three services and scientists who provide specialized training on technologies, military warfare, procurement procedures and operational logistics to the student officers. The course trains officers to handle senior commands and staff appointments in the future. On successful completion of the course the officers are awarded with a degree of M.Sc in Military Technology from Pune University. Officers in the service bracket of 9 to 14 years attend this course. Most officers attending this course are of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or Major and equivalent.
Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh, PVSM, MBE was an Air Officer in the Indian Air Force. He was one of the earliest to join the newly created Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1933 in the lowest rank of 'Hawai sepoy'. In a career spanning over three decades and two wars, he rose from the lowest enlisted rank to the then second-highest rank in the Indian Air Force. Hailed as technical wizard and innovator, he is considered a legend of the IAF.
Air Marshal Prithi Singh PVSM, AVSM, VM & Bar, ADC was an officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C), Western Air Command from 1 August 1988 to 30 April 1992. During his 40 years in the Indian Air Force, Singh flew about 102 different types of aircraft and their 120+ versions setting a record in IAF of flying most number of aircraft.
On 8 December 2021, a Mil Mi-17V-5 transport helicopter operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed between Coimbatore and Wellington in the state of Tamil Nadu, after departing from Sulur Air Force Station. The helicopter was carrying Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 13 others, including his wife and staff. Everyone on board was killed in the immediate aftermath, except Group Captain Varun Singh, who died from his injuries at a hospital a week later.
Air Commodore Narendra was an officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF). One of the pioneers of the IAF, he last served as the Air Officer-in-charge Technical and Equipment Services at Air HQ. He was killed when his Dakota aircraft crashed near Gülnar in Southern Turkey. At the time of his death, he was the third senior-most officer of the IAF, after Air Marshals Subroto Mukerjee and Aspy Engineer.
