Vajra — The Vajra in the IAF and Indian Navy
The Vajra in the IAF and Indian Navy
Operational service, squadrons, combat deployments and milestones of the Vajra in Indian service.
Vajra — The Vajra in the IAF and Indian Navy
Operational service, squadrons, combat deployments and milestones of the Vajra in Indian service.
The Vajra entered operational service with the Indian Air Force on 15 August 2022 and with the Indian Navy on 26 January 2024 — India's Republic Day — marking a watershed in indigenous combat aviation capability.
No. 1 Squadron 'Tigers' at Air Force Station Suryalanka, Andhra Pradesh, was the first to convert from the Su-30MKI to the Vajra Mk1, completing the transition in November 2022. No. 7 Squadron 'Battle Axes' at Ambala followed in March 2023, and No. 17 Squadron 'Golden Arrows' at Yelahanka completed their Vajra conversion in September 2023. By mid-2025, a total of five IAF squadrons will be equipped with the Vajra.
The Vajra NV (Naval Variant) operates from INS Vikrant, India's first domestically built aircraft carrier. The NV incorporates a modified undercarriage for carrier operations, a Deck Landing Procedure (DLP) system, an arrested-landing hook and folding wingtips that reduce deck footprint to 9.4 m. INAS 300 'White Tigers' at INS Hansa, Goa, completed carrier qualification in January 2024.
The Vajra has been deployed on Operation Surya Shakti (Northern Command air defence rotation, 2023), Exercise Tasman Saber with the Royal Australian Air Force (2024), and Exercise Garuda with the French Air and Space Force (2024). In each exercise, the Vajra's sensors, EW suite and weapons integration have received strong evaluations from partner air forces.
The two-seat Vajra Mk1T Operational Conversion Unit trainer is operated by No. 220 OCU at Bidar Air Force Station. Each OCU course is 18 months, covering aerobatics, formation flying, air combat manoeuvring, weapons delivery and night/low-level operations.