Govt forms panel to boost IAF’s might

Amid growing air power of China and Pakistan and shortage of fighter aircraft faced by the Indian Air Force, the Defence Ministry has formed a high-level committee under Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh to look into the overall capability development of the force through indigenous design, development and acquisition projects.

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Government officials said the committee was formed after the IAF made detailed presentations to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the Air Force Commanders’ Conference last month in the national capital.

Top Defence Ministry functionaries were briefed about the futuristic combat aircraft requirements along with gaps required to be filled in the capability that the force wants to have in the coming times to tackle the threat perception faced on both fronts. The officials said the committee had other senior members of the Defence Ministry, including the Secretary (Defence Production), Sanjeev Kumar; Defence Research and Development Organisation chief Dr Samir V Kamat; and Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal T Singh, the committee’s member secretary.

The committee is expected to submit its report to the Defence Minister in two to three months with a detailed assessment of the requirements of the force. The IAF has been able to induct only 36 new Rafale aircraft under the 4.5-plus generation of fighter aircraft that it wants in significant numbers to tackle the threat mainly posed by China, which is also supplying arms and equipment to the Pakistan air force.

The Chinese are now also likely to provide fighter aircraft to the Bangladesh air force, where the new government is not seen as friendly to India. The IAF’s plans of acquiring over 110 fighter aircraft of the 4.5-plus generation capability have been pending for some time with the government, and the committee may suggest a way to address the requirement through the indigenous route.

The gap in weaponry on the aircraft in terms of all types of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles has also been widening vis-a-vis the northern adversary. The long-range surface-to-surface missile systems with the Chinese forces are also believed to have longer ranges and are in much higher number. The IAF has been relying mainly on the indigenous projects for its future capability development.