India–Pakistan air war of 1971
| India–Pakistan air war of 1971 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Bangladesh Liberation War and India–Pakistan war of 1971 | |||||||
Indian Mig-21 pair during 1971 India–Pakistan war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| India | Pakistan | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Pratap Chandra Lal Hari Chand Dewan Mohinder Singh Bawa Cecil Vivian Parker Chandan Singh K. K. Badhwar |
Abdur Rahim Khan P. D. Callaghan Eric Gordon Hall Inamul H. Khan Michael John O'Brian Sharbat Ali Changezi | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Indian Air Force | Pakistan Air Force | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~650 aircraft | ~290 aircraft | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 45–65 IAF Aircraft | 75 PAF Aircraft | ||||||
The India–Pakistan air war of 1971 was the aerial conflict fought between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the India–Pakistan war of 1971. This air war was waged on both the Western Front (India and West Pakistan) and the Eastern Front (India and East Pakistan). The air engagements played a vital role in shaping the war's outcome and demonstrated significant advancements in aerial warfare tactics.