Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Wednesday said the force was moving in the “right direction”, but acknowledged that the pace of capability development needed to be faster amid rapidly evolving technology.
Addressing air warriors and IAF veterans at the Air Force Auditorium at Subroto Park on the eve of the force’s 94th anniversary, Singh flagged delays in the delivery of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A jets and said the IAF was actively engaging with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to resolve the issue.
“We have come to a way forward, and now we are waiting for HAL to complete whatever has been promised,” Singh said. He expressed confidence that the IAF would receive a “reasonable number” of aircraft during the current financial year, noting that the defence secretary had also spoken about the matter.
The LCA Mk-1A is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft.
Singh said the IAF continued to support the LCA Mk-2 and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programmes. It is also pursuing the procurement of 114 Rafale aircraft under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme, along with medium transport aircraft and medium-range helicopters.
“These contracts are likely to be signed maybe in this financial year or, positively, the next financial year,” he said.
On the C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft, Singh said the 17th aircraft — the first to be manufactured in India — was already in production.
“There are some minor issues, which are getting resolved. Hopefully, it will come up in a month or two,” he said.
The first C-295 was inducted into the IAF in September 2023, following India’s Rs 21,935-crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space for the aircraft to replace its ageing Avro-748 fleet. Airbus was to deliver the first 16 aircraft in fly-away condition from its final assembly line in Seville, while the remaining 40 are to be manufactured and assembled in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.
Singh said the IAF needed “greater capacity, faster induction and more combat mass”, along with faster development of indigenous research and development and production capabilities.
Over the past few years, the IAF has shifted from a “platform-centric” to a “capability-centric” approach, while focusing on the integration of different components, he said.
“And it proved its worth during Operation Sindoor,” he added.
The IAF chief said air power was, and would continue to be, the mainstay of offensive operations.
“I am happy that we are progressing in the right direction, but whether we are progressing at the correct pace or not is something for everybody to judge. According to me, yes, we can be a little faster than what we are today,” he said.
Singh attributed some of the delays to procedural, procurement and development constraints. He said the IAF was aware of the delays in the delivery of the 180 LCA Mk-1A aircraft currently contracted for and was holding discussions with HAL on possible solutions.
In February 2021, the Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 48,000-crore contract with HAL for 83 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft. The first aircraft was scheduled to be delivered in March 2024, but deliveries have yet to begin.
The IAF is seeking to induct the aircraft as the number of its fighter squadrons has fallen to 29, against an officially sanctioned strength of 42.
The Ministry of Defence signed another contract worth Rs 62,370 crore with HAL in September last year for 97 additional Tejas Mk-1A aircraft.
Singh also stressed the need to strengthen the IAF’s drone, counter-drone, unmanned aerial system (UAS), counter-UAS (C-UAS), space and cyberspace capabilities.
On high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs), he said a contract had been signed, while negotiations were under way for medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) RPAs.
Reflecting on the IAF’s operational role, Singh said military operations had tested the force, exercises had stretched its capabilities, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions had taken it beyond the country’s borders, and air diplomacy had expanded its partnerships.
Firefighting, however, remained “an area of concern”, he said.
“In case of fires at installations, or in an aircraft, ground run or an accident, our performance has been lacking. Lacking in a sense that it can be better,” Singh said.
The IAF is planning to introduce simulators that can recreate real-fire scenarios at installations and around aircraft for training purposes. It is also planning to deploy a large number of “fire bots” to assist firefighters in areas where large equipment cannot easily be deployed.
Singh also said a new IAF museum was under construction and was expected to be ready within a few months.
“It will be a very good, world-class museum that we will be very proud of,” he said.
A senior official said the project would be a new museum. An existing museum is located near Palam air base.
Air Chief Marshal Singh is due to retire this month and will hand over the IAF chief’s post to Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who has been named as his successor.
(With inputs from PTI)