BENGALURU: Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, said that while the 20th century was characterised by air power and dominance, the 21st century will witness the emergence of India as an ‘aerospace power’. He was speaking at the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture, organised by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Air Force Association of Karnataka and the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) here on Saturday.
India has volatile neighbours like China and Pakistan, he said and added that the armed forces should be in a position to tackle any type of threat.
“Cyber space, nuclear and electronic technology would play a critical role in determining the strengths of countries now and in the future. In this regard, the Indian Air Force and the HAL are more of conjoined twins and will cooperate to ensure India’s defence preparedness. Aerospace is the future and India has the capability to continuously degrade and demoralise its enemies,” he said.
Strategic Gravity Shifted to Asia
“The size and composition of any army depends on two factors - threat perception and national objectives. India has no interest in territorial conquests, but we have to ensure that the land taken away from us is reclaimed. In fact, strategic gravity has shifted from the West to Asia and the Asia-Pacific region due to various issues like the emergence of ISIS, the volatile situation in Afganistan and the fact that Pakistan has emerged as the fountain head of terrorism,” he added.
Speaking about the activities of the IAF, Raha said, “Work is in progress at Advanced Landing Grounds (ALG) in the country, especially in the north-eastern part. Hangars are being constructed at all air bases, while re-surfacing work is going on at runways. New projects like the acquisition of the ‘Chinook’ and ‘Apache’ helicopters from the United States have been approved. Our existing 35 squadrons of fighter aircraft will be increased to 42 squadrons by 2027. Also, the upgradation of the Mirage 2000, MiG 29, Jaguar and AN-32 is in progress,” said Raha, adding that the progress of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) has been delayed.
Earlier, HAL Chairman Dr R K Tyagi spoke about the relations between the IAF and HAL. “We have taken several measures like ensuring that funds to the tune of 10 per cent of profits will be used for R&D, registering patents (430 plus at present) to protect intellectual property and others. We are also contemplating developing aero-engines with the help of DRDO and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited,” he added.
Former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (retd) Fali Homi Major, Air Force Association of Karnataka president Air Marshal (retd) BU Chengappa, wife of late Air Chief Marshal L M Katre, Srilata, vice-president of AeSI (Bengaluru) V Balakrishna were among those present.