IAF Vice-Chief: Self-reliance not at cost of nation’s defence

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, July 19

With the Indian Air Force (IAF) facing a shortage of fighter jets and the deliveries of the indigenously made Tejas fighter jets running behind schedule, IAF Vice-Chief Air Marshal AP Singh on Friday said aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) “cannot be achieved at the cost of nation’s defence. The nation’s defence comes first and foremost”.

Jet order moving at snail’s pace

• HAL is yet to deliver the first jet of the first tranche of 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets ordered in February 2021 under a Rs 48,000 crore order
• Deliveries haven’t commenced 3 years after signing the contract
• IAF presently has 31 squadrons of fighter jets against mandated 42 to tackle a collusive two-front threat from Pakistan and China

Air Marshal Singh was speaking at a seminar in the national capital this morning when he said “aatmanirbharta is what we are riding on…But this aatmanirbharta cannot be achieved at the cost of nation’s defence. The nation’s defence comes first and foremost”.

If the IAF or Indian forces have to ride on this aatmanirbharta, it is only possible if everyone — from DRDO, to defence public sector undertakings and the private industry — hold hands and take us to that path and don’t let us deviate from the path of self-reliance, he said.

He added, “Because when it comes to national defence, there will be compulsions to deviate from this path in case we do not get the things that we need or the kind of system and weaponry that is required to survive in today’s world.”

The IAF Vice-Chief added, “The rate at which our adversaries are building their numbers while imbibing new technologies, the capability gap is continuously growing.”

Technological advancements continue to surprise us with their rapid pace, he said, adding that the impact of technology infusion into warfighting has made it crystal clear that agility and flexibility are needed in thought and action.

His words come just two months after the Ministry of Defence has asked Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to meet the delivery schedule of supplying 18 Tejas Mark-1A jets by March 2025. The Tribune had reported this in its edition dated May 16.

HAL, a Bengaluru-headquartered company in which the MoD owns a majority stake, is yet to deliver the first jet of the first tranche of 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets ordered in February 2021 under a Rs 48,000 crore order. Deliveries were to commence three years after signing the contract, or by March this year.

The MoD — after a review meeting — had asked HAL to meet the delivery deadline of 18 jets by March 2025.

The criticality of adding more fighter jets 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 from Pakistan and China.

Over the next year, the two squadrons of the Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jets will retire. The Jaguar, MiG-29 and Mirage 2000 jet fleets — 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 lifecycle.

As per the plan, from this financial year and for the next 14-15 years (till 2038-39), India needs to indigenously produce some 390 fighter jets for the IAF. The IAF already has 40 Tejas Mark-1 jets. The Tejas Mark-1A is an improved version of the aircraft.