Corps of Army Air Defence

Corps of Army Air Defence
Regimental crest
Active1939 (1939) – present day
Country British India (1939-1947)
 India (1947-present)
Allegiance United Kingdom
 Republic of India
Branch British Indian Army
 Indian Army
TypeArmy Corps
RoleAir Defence Warfare
SizeAround 85,000 soldiers and 6,000 officers.
Part of Indian Army
Motto(s)Sanskrit: आकाशे शत्रुन् जहि
English: Annihilate the Airborne Enemy
Regimental colors   
Sky blue & Red
AnniversariesJanuary 10[1]
EngagementsWorld War II
1947 Indo-Pakistani War
Sino-Indian War of 1962
Indo-Pak War of 1965
Indo-Pak War of 1971
Kargil War
WebsiteIndian Army Official Site
Commanders
Director General of Corps of Army Air DefenceLieutenant General Sumer Ivan D’Cunha
Insignia
Regimental flag

The Corps of Army Air Defence (abbreviated as AAD), is an active corps of the Indian Army and a major combat support arm tasked with air defence of the country from foreign threats. The AAD is responsible for the protection of Indian air space from enemy aircraft and missiles, especially below 5,000 feet.[2]

The history of the AAD dates back to 1939 during the times of the British Raj in India. The corps actively took part in the Second World War fighting on behalf of the British Empire. Post independence, the corps has participated in all the wars involving India, starting from the 1947 Indo-Pakistani War to the 1999 Kargil conflict.

The corps enjoyed autonomous status from 1994, after the bifurcation of the Corps of Air Defence Artillery from the Army's Regiment of Artillery. A separate training school, the Army Air Defence College (AADC), was established to train its personnel.[3][4]

  1. ^ "The Corps of Army Air Defence Celebrates Its Raising Day". Press Information Bureau. Government of India-Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. ^ Rishabh Mishra (24 June 2015). "21 Different Branches Of Indian Army That Make It Such An Efficient Defence Force". TopYaps. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Corps of Army Air Defence". Global Security. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  4. ^ Bharat Verma; BK Pandey; GM Hiranandani. Indian Armed Forces: Army Air Defence (1st ed.). Lancer Publishers LLC. ISBN 9781935501732.