35-40 jets needed each year: IAF Chief

The Indian Air Force Chief on Friday said the IAF immediately needed 35-40 new fighter jets each year to fill in existing gaps and to factor in phasing out of older fleets – the Mirage, MiG-29 and the Jaguar -- in the next few years.

Speaking at an event in the national capital, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said: “We need to add two squadrons per year, means we need 35-40 planes per year. The capacity cannot come overnight. These many jets are needed to fill in existing gaps and also the gaps after future phasing fleets in 5-10 years from now.

He said: “The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has promised to produce 24 Tejas Mark-1A jets next year, I am happy with that”. He suggested that “we can get 12-18 jets per year from private participation”.

On balancing self-reliance with the needs of the IAF , he said “I can take a vow I will not buy anything from outside. But we are badly-off in terms of numbers. The promised numbers (of deliveries) are slow. There will be a need to look for something to fill these voids”.

Earlier this month at the Aero India in Bengaluru, the IAF Chief expressed concerns at the speed of producing the Tejas Mark-1A jets by the HAL which is running an year or more behind in meeting deadlines of supplying the contracted 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets.

The IAF Chief listed the first priority of IAF as seeking homegrown systems. “Even if we can get homegrown technology to be at 90 per cent of capability of foreign platforms, I am okay,” he added. “That is how we have to move forward,” he further said, sharing a vision of his force by 2047 – the deadline for ‘viksit bharat’ or developed India.

Though the IAF Chief did not mention if the Ministry of Defence had tasked a high-powered committee to suggest a way forward on sluggish production of fighter jets. This include the option of greater participation of the private sector.

The need to add numbers to the jet fleet stems from the fact that the IAF presently has 31 squadrons (16-18 planes each) of fighter jets against a mandated need of 42 squadrons to tackle a collusive two-front threat against Pakistan and China. Also, the fleets of Jaguar, MiG-29 and Mirage 2000 -- all inducted in phases during the 1980s – are slated to retire in batches beyond 2029-30. These four types of jets are about 250 in number and are presently operating on an extended life-cycle.

On being asked about ‘future force structure’ of 2047, the IAF Chief said: “In my opinion, it will not be much different in terms of things we have. Yes, the technology will change. We should be able to transfer data and targets to all platforms on the go”. There is expected to be greater automation and have faster decision making. The IAF would be bigger and in terms of technology would be on a par with what was there around the world, he added.