View source for Air Force Academy India

{{Short description|IAF's training central for aerial and logistical warfare}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox university
| name              = Indian Air Force Academy
| native_name       = 
| native_name_lang  = hi
| image             = Union Minister for Defence Rajnath Singh witnessing the Combined Graduation Parade of Autumn term, at Air Force Academy, Hyderabad 2020.jpg
| image_size        = 250px
| caption           = Union Minister for Defence Rajnath Singh witnessing the Combined Graduation Parade of Autumn term, at Air Force Academy
| motto             = श्रम से सिद्धि
| motto_lang        = Sanskrit
| mottoeng          = ''Shram Se Sidhi (Achievement Through Diligence)''
| established       = {{Start date and age| 1969}}
| type              = [[Military academies in India|Military Academy]]
| head_label        = [[Commandant of the Air Force Academy|Commandant]]
| head              = [[Air marshal (India)|Air Marshal]] [[B Chandra Sekhar]]
| city              = [[Dundigal, Hyderabad, Telangana]]
| state             = [[Telangana]]
| country           = India
| students          = 
| coordinates       = {{Coord|17|37|38|N|078|24|12|E|type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| campus            = {{cvt|7,050|acre}}
| colours           = 
| free_label        = 
| free              = 
| logo              = 
| footnotes         = 
| logo_size         = 
}}
{{Infobox airport
| name         = Indian Air Force Academy
| caption      = 
| IATA         = 
| ICAO         = VODG
| type         = [[Military academies in India|Defence Service]] training institute
| owner        = [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]], [[Government of India]]
| operator     = [[Indian Air Force]]
| city-served  = 
| location     = [[Dundigal, Hyderabad, Telangana]], India
| metric-elev  = 
| elevation-f  = 2,013
| elevation-m  = 614
| website      = 
| r1-number    = 10R/28L
| r1-length-f  = 6,800
| r1-length-m  = 2,073
| r1-surface   = [[Asphalt]]
| r2-number    = 10L/28R
| r2-length-m  = 2,515
| r2-length-f  = 8,250
| r2-surface   = [[Concrete]]
| stat-year    = 
| stat1-header = 
| stat1-data   = 
| stat2-header = 
| stat2-data   = 
| footnotes    = 
}}
'''Indian Air Force Academy, Dundigal''' {{Airport codes||VODG}} is a [[Defense (military)|Defence Service]] training institute located in [[Medchal-Malkajgiri district]] {{cvt|43|km}} from [[Hyderabad (India)|Hyderabad]], in the [[States and territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Telangana]].<ref>[http://careerairforce.nic.in/index1.asp?lang=1&ls_id=66&lid=52&level=2&pid=7 Air Force Academy Dundigal]</ref>

The academy was set up to train cadets from [[Indian Airforce|Indian Airforce Service]] cadre officers. It imparts training to the flying, technical and ground duty branches as well as officers of the Indian Navy & the Indian Coast Guard. This is a home for the officer trainees who learn their specialisation and are nurtured to become capable leaders. After one year's training, officer cadets are commissioned into various branches of the [[Indian Air Force]] (IAF). It inducted women cadets into the IAF for the first time in June 1993.<ref>{{cite news |title=Half the IAF women trainee pilots quit in a year |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/jun/18pilot.htm |access-date=29 October 2018 |work=Rediff.com |date=19 June 1997}}</ref>

==History==
The foundation stone of the Air Force Academy was laid by the then [[President of India]] [[Dr. Zakir Hussain]] on 11 October 1967. The academy was established in 1969 and started operations in 1971. It is located at Dundigal, about {{cvt|25|km}} from the twin cities of [[Hyderabad]] and [[Secunderabad]], spread over {{cvt|7,050|acre}}. [[Air commodore (India)|Air Commodore]] J. D. Aquino was the first Commandant of the academy.

==Commandant==
{{main|Commandant of the Air Force Academy}}
The Commandant is the head and in-charge of all the functioning of the Air Force Academy. The Commandant of the Academy is a [[Three-star rank]] officer holding the rank of [[Air marshal (India)|Air Marshal]].

==Training==
[[File:Indian Air Force's newly inducted Flying Officers in a jubilant mood after passing out the Graduation at the Combined Graduation Parade.jpg|thumb|Flying Officers at Graduation Parade]]
In this academy, IAF pilots are trained to learn flying through successive stages. Those who pass out as fighter pilots serve in front-line combat squadrons equipped with [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://m.economictimes.com/news/defence/iaf-accepts-rafale-formal-hand-over-on-dussehra/articleshow/71223533.cms |title=rafale: IAF 'accepts' Rafale, formal hand-over on Dussehra - The Economic Times |website=m.economictimes.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921171228/https://m.economictimes.com/news/defence/iaf-accepts-rafale-formal-hand-over-on-dussehra/articleshow/71223533.cms |archive-date=2019-09-21}}</ref> [[Sukhoi Su-30MKI|Su-30MKI]], [[Mikoyan MiG-29|MiG-29]], [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21]], [[Dassault Mirage 2000|Mirage 2000]], [[HAL Tejas|Tejas]] aircraft. For those interested in flying transport aircraft, the IAF offers heavy multi engined [[Ilyushin Il-76|Il-76]] aircraft, [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17 Globemaster III]]  and the twin engined multi role [[Antonov An-32|An-32]] transport aircraft, besides [[Hawker Siddeley HS 748|HS 748]] and the [[Dornier 228]] light utility transport aircraft.

By joining the helicopter fleet, the trainees learn to fly at treetop height and landing in remote areas. The curriculum also includes flying helicopter gunships like Indian developed [[HAL Dhruv|Dhruv]], Attack helicopter like [[Boeing AH-64 Apache|AH-64 Apache]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://m.economictimes.com/news/defence/eight-us-made-apache-attack-helicopters-inducted-into-iaf/articleshow/70955482.cms|title=Apache Attack helicopters: Eight US made Apache attack helicopters inducted into IAF|newspaper=The Economic Times|last1=Gurung|first1=Shaurya Karanbir}}</ref> [[Mil Mi-26|Mi-26]], heavy-lift choppers, casualty evacuation, para dropping of troops and air lifting of supplies.

The academy imparts specialist training to young men and women who shoulder responsibility as leaders in other areas of air force operations. These are administrative, air controlling, meteorological, logistics, accounts and education branches. Swimming, field and indoor games are included in the evening routine.

Officers from friendly foreign countries are also occasionally trained at the Air Force Academy.

The following are the types of training conducted at the academy:
* '''Flying training'''
If a cadet has joined the Flying Branch, training is divided into Stage I, II and III. Each stage takes the trainee pilots from fundamental to more complex levels of aviation. It is after Stage I that the cadets are sent for specialisation on fighter, helicopter or transport aircraft.
* '''Air Traffic Control Officers' training'''
The training at the Air Force Academy for Air Traffic Control is designed on the basis of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) procedures, altered to suit the military aviation requirements.
* '''Ground Duty Officers' training'''
Ground Duty Officers' training is for all non-technical branches of the Indian Air Force. If the cadet has joined the Administrative, Logistics, Accounts, Education or Meteorology division, they will be trained at the Air Force Academy before joining the Air Force as Ground Duty Officer.
* '''Joint Services training'''
Cadets of the Flying, Air Traffic Control and the Ground Duty Branches are imparted Joint Services Training here for 22 weeks.<ref>[http://careerairforce.nic.in/index1.asp?lang=1&ls_id=66&lid=52&level=2&pid=7 Training for Aeronautical Engineering Branches]</ref> The cadets selected for entry into the Aeronautical Engineering Branches are sent to the Air Force Technical College at Jalahalli, Bangalore. Training includes common service subjects like administration and service knowledge.

==See also==
* [[Indian Military Academy|Indian Military Academy, Dehradun]]
* [[Indian Naval Academy|Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala]]
* [[Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 AFA, Dundigal]]
* [[Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 AFA, Dundigal]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Air Force Academy, Dundigul}}
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/dindigul.htm Dundigul Air Force Academy at Global Security]

{{Indian military academies and colleges}}
{{Air force academies}}
{{Airports in India}}

{{authority control}}

{{Indian Air Force}}

[[Category:Indian Air Force]]
[[Category:Air force academies]]
[[Category:Military academies of India]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in Hyderabad, India]]
[[Category:Airports in Telangana]]
[[Category:1969 establishments in Andhra Pradesh]]