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The Indian Air Force (IAF) is moving rapidly towards adopting cutting-edge technologies to further sharpen its combat capabilities in the coming days. Just before ‘Air Force Day’ to be celebrated on October 8, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh (AP Singh) has made many big and clear revelations regarding the country’s defense policy and future strategic operations.
During a conversation with the media and defense analysts, the Air Force Chief made it clear that the Indian Air Force will not form a separate drone force for future wars, but modern technologies like drones, loitering munitions and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be used by integrating them with the existing force structure.
During this important press conference, IAF Chief AP Singh also spoke openly on the country’s indigenous fifth generation ‘Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft’ (AMCA) project. He said in a warning tone that if there is any delay in the development and manufacturing of this indigenous fifth generation fighter aircraft, the Indian Air Force may have to seriously consider other available fighter platforms to meet its needs.
At present, only 29 squadrons are available with the Indian Air Force against the sanctioned 42 fighter squadrons, due to which the Air Force is facing a huge shortage. The Air Chief Marshal stressed that to overcome this shortage and to keep its fleet strong, the Air Force is in dire need of adding at least 36 to 40 new fighter aircraft to its fleet every year.
Talking about the importance of technology in future war scenarios, Air Chief Marshal Singh said that in today’s time, it is not just the number of fighter aircraft that matters, but there is a need to make the army completely ‘AI-enabled’. Regarding drones and unmanned systems, he clarified that for the Indian Air Force, drones are not a separate revolutionary change, but a natural part of the continuous development process.
Instead of operating separately, drones and loitering munitions must work jointly with existing military weapons and systems to enable accurate and quick decisions to defeat the enemy on the battlefield.
Talking about the upcoming major defense purchases of the Indian Air Force and international agreements, the IAF chief said about the multirole fighter jets (proposed purchase of 114 Rafale fighters) that the much-awaited deal could be finalized within the current financial year itself, although it also depends on many other administrative and financial factors. The Defense Acquisition Council has already approved the ‘Acceptance of Necessity’ (AoN) for this purchase, and under the government’s plan, most of the aircraft will be manufactured within the country under ‘Make in India’.
Furthermore, speaking on Russia’s offer of its fifth generation Su-57 fighter jets to India and their joint production in India, he indicated that no final decision has been taken by the Air Force regarding this proposal yet and all aspects are being closely assessed.