NEW DELHI: A detailed roadmap for the “all-round accelerated capability enhancement” of the Indian Air Force has been chalked out by a high-powered committee to plug existing operational gaps in a time-bound manner, with greater participation from the private sector to complement the ongoing efforts of the DRDO and defence PSUs.
The “key thrust areas” identified in the report range from progressively increasing the number of fighter squadrons, which is currently down to just 30 despite a sanctioned strength of 42.5, to induction of additional “force-enablers” like airborne early-warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and mid-air refuelers as well as a wide array of air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.
Defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, who chaired the committee, presented the report to defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday evening, in the presence of IAF chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, vice chief Air Marshal S P Dharkar and others.
It comes at a time when China is now flaunting even 6th-generation fighter prototypes, and is expected to deliver at least 40 J-35A stealth 5th-generation jets to Pakistan. India, in sharp contrast, is floundering to even produce the home-grown 4th-generation Tejas jet in adequate numbers, which has led the IAF chief to publicly lash out at Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) repeatedly. Noting that IAF is “very badly off in numbers”, ACM Singh on Friday said his force needs to induct at least 40 fighters every year to stay combat ready.
“The committee has made recommendations for implementation of the key thrust areas in the short, medium and long-term so as to achieve the IAF’s desired capability enhancement goals in an optimal manner. The basic aim is to hasten the capability-building process in terms of R&D, production rates and the like,” an official said.
Parallelly, a defence secretary-led committee has also been constituted to examine how the planned indigenous 5th-generation fighter called advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) can be fast-tracked.
The PM-led cabinet committee on security in March last year had cleared the development of the swing-role AMCA at an initial cost of over Rs 15,000 crore, but it will be ready for production only by 2035 as of now.
The report presented on Monday has detailed a “glide path” to increasing the number of fighter squadrons, which includes a foreign OEM (original equipment manufacturer) tying up with an Indian partner to set up a production line here.
“While HAL’s three production lines for the light-weight Tejas will continue, this will be a parallel production line for a different medium-weight fighter,” another official said. This involves the long-pending project to manufacture 114 new 4.5-generation fighters, at an initial estimate of Rs 1.25 lakh crore, with foreign collaboration.
The report underscores “the need for impetus to enhance ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in the aerospace domain with the private sector complementing the effort of defence PSUs and DRDO”.
“The defence minister directed that the recommendations be followed up in a time-bound manner. The committee was formed on his directions to holistically examine all issues and prepare a clear plan of action,” the official said.
