“The Indian Air Force is working hard to remain a credible Air Force,” says India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who took over as the 28th Air Chief of India on September 30, 2024.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and National Defence College. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot with more than 5,000 hours of service flying a variety of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
India’s new Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) told this author how the IAF has evolved from being a tactical force to a strategic force, from being defense-oriented to one aiming at air domination, from having the capability of meeting a single threat at one time to fight a two-front war simultaneously, and from protecting territorial assets to guarding India’s space assets.
“Man, machine, structures, and processes are the key elements of war-fighting that need a regular review to keep pace with the emerging contours of warfare. The Indian Air Force (IAF) follows the same process of critical review and has instituted suitable measures within all these elements to ensure a credible war-fighting force for the envisaged operational conditions.
The IAF has taken several vital steps to keep pace with the changing character of war, including inducting modern platforms and weapon systems like Rafale, LCA, and S-400 and upgrading the existing ones, cadre management, reforming operational training and professional military education at all levels, and optimizing our war-fighting processes incorporating modern technology.
These steps are reviewed even while being implemented to be ready for future wars. More importantly, there is a growing realization and consensus across strategic circles on the continuum of air and space and its evolving military significance. Most of the air forces have been transformed into air and space forces to harness this unique potential for the furtherance of national interests, and we are cognizant of the same.“
On asked how the IAF is managing the situation with fewer active fighter squadrons today than its authorized strength of squadrons, and that too when there has been tardy progress on the fronts of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), program, Air Chief Marshal Singh replied:
“If we go into a scientific approach to assess the operational implications of narrowing the asset base, the requirements may match the ones projected by the IAF regularly. While we do have some shortages, we have worked to optimize our sustenance and activity cycles to ensure a high tempo of operations and extract more from what we have. The government is also supportive of our endeavor to make good our requirements for weapons, platforms, and systems in an expeditious manner.
“Our capability development programs have the required traction from the government as well as domestic industry, and we have a time-bound plan to fulfill existing gaps.
“I am confident that we have worked out efficient alternatives to maximize existing capabilities and have mitigated vulnerabilities through innovative means, and are ready to deliver to the nation in any contingency. However, we need to be careful of completely substituting this efficiency for effectiveness and must continue with the fast pace of capability development”.
The Indian Air Chief is very proud of the caliber of the fighter pilots at his command.
“We operate in some of the most challenging Op environments in the world. Our standards for selection and training have always been stringent to ensure that the highest quality of human resources is available for undertaking the wide range of tasks that are envisaged in increasingly complex battle spaces.
“Availability and utilization of realistic Virtual Reality (VR) simulators have enhanced the Op preparedness of aircrew. The current Op scenario in the region is providing opportunities for realistic training. Officers are encouraged to develop niche skills of IT, AI & Space to further expand their operational outlook. Technology, doctrine, and human resources are the foundational pillars of any organization and more so for the IAF.
Air Power is sensitive to technology, and its doctrine has to be in sync to harness the potential of technological advances. In this context, the doctrine has been reviewed on op applicability, combat leadership and conduct of air war in all possible scenarios. The man behind the machine is the most important factor in the combat preparedness of any Air Force.
Therefore, there is a continuous effort to ensure that our air warriors are abreast with the latest technological developments. This has ensured that the platforms are capable of rapid role change and thereby provide multiple options to the aerospace power practitioner to employ these flexible assets cohesively as per the emerging situation and not limited to constrained usage in a defined area or in a particular role”.
On the widely prevailing perception that the IAF is opposed to the concept of theater commands, something that the Modi government is very keen on, the CAS said, “The IAF is not opposing the concept of theater commands, but rather working cohesively to ensure the build-up of a more robust system and seamless integration for the transition from present structures to joint structures.”
Significantly, the CAS revealed the lessons that the IAF has learned from the ongoing war in Ukraine. According to him, “the Russian-Ukraine war has thrown up plenty of lessons. The resilience of air power has been demonstrated in this extended war. It has also shown that a sustained DEAD (Destruction of Air Defence) campaign is important to achieve the needed air situation.
It also demonstrated that air superiority is necessary to achieve land objectives. However, a full-spectrum AD (Air Dominance) capability is needed, which includes weapons ranging from shoulder-launched missiles to long-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).
Inputs about the effectiveness of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) have been mixed. While initial reports were largely positive, as the major action shifted to the East and where a structured AD system was available, most inputs indicate high vulnerability and limited impact. This highlighted the need for a multi-layered and ranged air defense system with both hard and soft kill options for dealing with RPAs.
“The other important lessons are the Kinetic attacks on major warships, (hitherto) rare events, and the use of anti-ship missiles. So also the proliferation and use of anti-tank and shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles. However, definitive conclusions can only be reached once the entire context and conditions become clear.
“Moreover, on a broader scale, it is obvious that the conflicts in the future can be of Short High Intensity, Protracted Low Intensity, or Protracted Conflict of varying intensity.
While a short and swift conflict would require a sharp, mean, and offensive force, the outcome of a protracted conflict would be determined by force preservation and sustenance. The IAF is working intricately on all these aspects to build a credible air force.“
- Author and veteran journalist Prakash Nanda is Chairman of the Editorial Board of the EurAsian Times and has been commenting on politics, foreign policy, and strategic affairs for nearly three decades. He is a former National Fellow of the Indian Council for Historical Research and a recipient of the Seoul Peace Prize Scholarship.
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