The game named "Indian Air Force: A Cut Above" is developed by Threye Interactive, which specialises in military games. Within hours of its launch, it had been downloaded by over a million people.
Launched by Air Chief Birendra Singh Dhanoa in New Delhi on Wednesday, the single player mobile game features missions the MiG-21, Su-30 MKI desert strike missions, gunship missions featuring the Mi-17, and Apache combat helicopters among some others.
#MobileGame : Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee & the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa launched IAF’s latest 3D Mobile gaming application ‘Indian Air Force: A Cut Above’ on Air Combat at National Bal Bhawan, New Delhi, today.@SpokespersonMoD @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/9JlsGFxybv
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 31, 2019
The Air Force promised a multi-player version by October this year with missions such as a surgical strike into terrorist camps in enemy territory, combat air patrols, base defence and future weapon systems.
The multiplayer will feature Tejas and other aircraft.
— Threye (@ThreyeGames) July 31, 2019
The game is available on both Android and iOS platforms, and it showcases the lifestyle, thrills and responsibilities of pilots in the Indian Air Force.
Subscribers praised the game, saying it is very easy to play. Its initial stage features a Hindustan Aeronautics made Hawk trainer jet for the training mission that needs to be passed before solo missions start.
"An awesome game with high optimisation, excellent controls, awesome graphics etc. as hard as compared to guardians of the skies and Hawk trainer absolutely loving it,"Abhinav Raj, one of the subscribers said.
Nevertheless, some of the subscribers have claimed to have found a bug in the game while some have called for improvements.
"I expected a lot from this game, but the level of simulation has a lot of scope for improvement. Flight dynamics need much improvement. Missions are good. Selection of aircraft is good. But those who have played the likes of infinite flight will not consider this to be a flight simulator," said subscriber Apoorva Mandavgane.
The game's launch comes just five months after the Pakistani military downed an Indian warplane in the disputed Kashmir region, reportedly in retaliation for an earlier airstrike by Indian fighter jets against what New Delhi claimed was a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camp. The Indian Air Force claimed that a MiG-21 Bison shot down a Pakistani F-16 before crashing into Pakistan-controlled territory.
