Aero India opens today, IAF still staring down the barrel

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
Bengaluru, February 19

Yet another ‘Aero India’, an exhibition where global fighter jet makers, among others, will showcase their wares, opens here tomorrow.

The five-day (February 20-24) show is like to be a re-run of what was happening over a decade ago when India, in 2007, invited bids to procure 126 fighter jets under the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) project that ending up being scrapped.

The subsequent order for “only” 36 Rafale jets is now a “political football” between the ruling BJP and the Opposition-led by Congress while the Indian Air Force (IAF) is gasping to maintain dominance and is operating at its lowest strength of fighter jets.

In April year, India announced a fresh bid to procure 110 fighter jets under a multi-billion dollar deal. Seven major global companies will be in attendance at the Yelanhka Air base at this metropolis. The ones in the race are Lockheed Martin’s F-16IN, US Boeing’s F/A-18IN, Eurofighter Typhoon, French Dassault’s Rafale, Swedish Saab’s Gripen and Russian MiG-35 and the Russian Sukhoi-35. Other than the Sukhoi-35, all others were also a part of the MMRCA race.

The Aero India, a biennial event, is used by foreign companies to showcase what they offer, including jets, copters, drones, radars and air defence missiles. New Delhi is the biggest importers of weapons and equipment accounting for nearly 12 per cent of all global sales.

In the past decade, little has changed for the IAF, rather it has slid downwards. Apart from the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets — the first one expected in September this year — and the addition of 12 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, the situation remains critical.

The IAF is now operating at its lowest strength of 31 fighter squadrons — around 16-18 planes in each. The Cabinet Committee of Security has mandated 42 squadrons for a simultaneous two-front war scenario with Pakistan and China.

Even the addition of 36 Rafale and 123 Tejas projected over the next eight years will not help the IAF in stemming the downward ebb. Over the next four-five years, around 110 planes of MiG 21 and MiG 27 series are slated to retire.

The manufacturer that India finally decides to collaborate with will have to commit on transfer of technology for the jets to be built in India and also help in the advanced medium combat aircraft that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is planning.

The 110 fighter jet deal and the AMCA will be separate projects, but will keep the winning company interested in India for the next four decades or till the AMCA keeps flying.

Facing dangerous shortfall 

• India needs at least 400 fighter jets over the next 10 years with a mix of single-engine and twin-engine options
• These will be needed to reach 42 squadron mark and also for replacing the ageing jets
• Cabinet Committee of Security has mandated 42 squadrons for a simultaneous two-front war with Pakistan and China