CHANDIGARH: The Indian Air Force will have a new weapons system branch for its officers to man four specialized streams of surface-to-surface and air missiles, remotely- piloted aircraft and weapon system operators in twin and multi-crew aircraft. Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said the new branch will help save Rs 3,400 crore in flying training. Speaking at IAF’s 90th-anniversary celebrations, the IAF Chief said the new operational branch is the first such department since Independence.
He also launched a new pattern of IAF combat uniform that uses pixelated designs, replacing the older organic patterns. “No single armed force wing can win a war on its own. Work is in progress to enhance jointness among the three services,” said the IAF chief while emphasizing the formation of the new branch. “The advent of drones, swarm drones, hypersonic weapons and space-based ISR systems has added a new dimension to war-fighting,” he said.
“To effectively handle the full spectrum, artificial intelligence is being used for quicker decision-making and analysis of big data,” he said. “I am happy to report that several projects are well underway to utilize the potential of automation, data analytics and artificial intelligence to transform our operational philosophy,” he added. The use of non-kinetic and non-lethal warfare to supplement kinetic means has changed the way wars will be fought. Therefore, conventional systems and weapons will need to be augmented by modern, flexible and adaptive technology, said the IAF Chief.