Janbaz
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NEW DELHI: At a time when the primacy of airpower in winning wars or at least "shaping" the battlefield for the army to move in is well-established, IAF will not be able to achieve its "sanctioned" strength of 39.5 fighter squadrons even by 2017.
The sheer inability of successive governments to formulate long-term integrated defence plans to progressively build the countrys military capabilities in tune with its geopolitical objectives means the IAF will continue to grapple with a shortage in fighters for the foreseeable future.
The IAF is down to just about 30-32 squadrons (each has 12 to 18 jets) at present, with many more older MiG variants lined up for progressive retirement.
Even with new acquisitions, India will only have 35.5 fighter squadrons by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan (2012), and 37.5 squadrons by end of the 12th one, say IAF projections.
"The depleted air force is a serious risk to national security," warns the latest report of the parliamentary standing committee on defence.
"There is an imperative need to revise acquisition targets to meet the authorised strength in the shortest possible timeframe," it adds, calling for "an action plan" by the government in this regard.
This is especially important since IAF itself has held it needs 44 squadrons to meet the "possible contingency" of "a full conflict" with Pakistan, while maintaining "a dissuasive posture" against China.
Moreover, simultaneous conflict with both Pakistan and China, with the capability to hold Pakistan and defend against China, will require 55 squadrons.
Though the IAF is inducting advanced multi-role fighters such as Sukhoi-30MKIs (230 jets have also been contracted from Russia in deals worth $8.5 billion) and force-multipliers like IL-78 mid-air refuellers and Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), numbers do matter in the ultimate analysis.
Both Pakistan and China, on their part, are rapidly boosting their air forces. Pakistan, for instance, is getting 36 more F-16s from the United States, coupled with its plans to induct as many as 250 JF-17 Thunder fighters from China.
The previous IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, in fact, had even warned the UPA government that "unless immediate steps are taken to arrest the reduction in IAFs force levels, the nation will, for the first time in its history, lose the conventional military edge over Pakistan".
The six-year delay by the government in launching the hunt for 126 new multi-role combat aircraft, under the gigantic Rs 42,000-crore project, will lead to the first lot of these fighters being delivered only by 2012 at the earliest.
By then, IAF would have retired 100 more MiG-21s, which constitute the bulk of its combat fleet, and 40 more MiG-27s.
To counter the sharp fall in numbers, IAF has upgraded 125 MiG-21 Bisons and 100 each of the MiG-27MLs and Jaguars with new avionics, weapon systems and life-extension refits.
And now, after signing a Rs 3,840-crore deal with Russia to upgrade its 69 MiG-29s by 2011, IAF is looking for a similar package for its 51 Mirage-2000s with France.
Then, of course, there is the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft programme, which was launched in 1983 to replace the ageing MiGs. But its running years behind schedule, with the first squadron likely to be inducted only by 2011-2012 now.
rajat.pandit@timesgroup.com
IAF faces shortage of fighter jets-India-The Times of India
The sheer inability of successive governments to formulate long-term integrated defence plans to progressively build the countrys military capabilities in tune with its geopolitical objectives means the IAF will continue to grapple with a shortage in fighters for the foreseeable future.
The IAF is down to just about 30-32 squadrons (each has 12 to 18 jets) at present, with many more older MiG variants lined up for progressive retirement.
Even with new acquisitions, India will only have 35.5 fighter squadrons by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan (2012), and 37.5 squadrons by end of the 12th one, say IAF projections.
"The depleted air force is a serious risk to national security," warns the latest report of the parliamentary standing committee on defence.
"There is an imperative need to revise acquisition targets to meet the authorised strength in the shortest possible timeframe," it adds, calling for "an action plan" by the government in this regard.
This is especially important since IAF itself has held it needs 44 squadrons to meet the "possible contingency" of "a full conflict" with Pakistan, while maintaining "a dissuasive posture" against China.
Moreover, simultaneous conflict with both Pakistan and China, with the capability to hold Pakistan and defend against China, will require 55 squadrons.
Though the IAF is inducting advanced multi-role fighters such as Sukhoi-30MKIs (230 jets have also been contracted from Russia in deals worth $8.5 billion) and force-multipliers like IL-78 mid-air refuellers and Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), numbers do matter in the ultimate analysis.
Both Pakistan and China, on their part, are rapidly boosting their air forces. Pakistan, for instance, is getting 36 more F-16s from the United States, coupled with its plans to induct as many as 250 JF-17 Thunder fighters from China.
The previous IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, in fact, had even warned the UPA government that "unless immediate steps are taken to arrest the reduction in IAFs force levels, the nation will, for the first time in its history, lose the conventional military edge over Pakistan".
The six-year delay by the government in launching the hunt for 126 new multi-role combat aircraft, under the gigantic Rs 42,000-crore project, will lead to the first lot of these fighters being delivered only by 2012 at the earliest.
By then, IAF would have retired 100 more MiG-21s, which constitute the bulk of its combat fleet, and 40 more MiG-27s.
To counter the sharp fall in numbers, IAF has upgraded 125 MiG-21 Bisons and 100 each of the MiG-27MLs and Jaguars with new avionics, weapon systems and life-extension refits.
And now, after signing a Rs 3,840-crore deal with Russia to upgrade its 69 MiG-29s by 2011, IAF is looking for a similar package for its 51 Mirage-2000s with France.
Then, of course, there is the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft programme, which was launched in 1983 to replace the ageing MiGs. But its running years behind schedule, with the first squadron likely to be inducted only by 2011-2012 now.
rajat.pandit@timesgroup.com
IAF faces shortage of fighter jets-India-The Times of India
