New Delhi, Feb, 28
The Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, said on Friday that the IAF needs 35-40 fighter jets each year to fill existing gaps and to factor in the phasing out of older fleets—the Mirage, MiG-29, and the Jaguar—in the next few years. The IAF Chief was speaking at an event in Delhi, where he said, “We need to add two squadrons per year, which means we need 35-40 planes per year. The capacity cannot come overnight.”
These jets are needed to fill in existing gaps and also the gaps that will arise after future phasing of fleets in 5-10 years from now.
The IAF Chief said, “The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has promised to produce 24 Tejas Mark-1A jets next year, I am happy with that.”
He suggested looking at private players to increase the number of jets. He cited the private sector manufacturing of the C295 transport plane by a joint venture of Tata and Airbus.
“We can get 12-18 jets per year from private participation. On balancing self-reliance with the needs of the IAF,” he said, adding “I can take a vow I will not buy anything from outside. But we are badly off in terms of numbers. The promised numbers are slow, there will be a need to look for something to fill these voids.”
Earlier this month at the Aero India in Bengaluru, the IAF Chief expressed concerns at the speed of producing the Tejas Mark-1A jets by the HAL, which is running a year or more behind in meeting deadlines for supplying the contracted 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets.
The IAF Chief listed the first priority of the IAF as seeking homegrown systems. “Even if we can get homegrown technology that is 90 per cent of the capability of foreign platforms, I am okay,” Air Chief Marshal Singh added.
“That is how we have to move forward,” he added while giving a vision of his force by 2047—the deadline for ‘viksit bharat’ or developed India. Though the IAF Chief did not mention it, the Ministry of Defence has tasked a high-powered committee to suggest a way forward on the sluggish production of fighter jets.
This includes the option of greater participation by the private sector. The need to add numbers to the jet fleet stems from the fact that the IAF presently has 31 squadrons (16-18 planes each) of fighter jets against a mandated need of 42 squadrons to tackle a collusive two-front threat against Pakistan and China.
Also, the fleets of the Jaguar, MiG-29, and Mirage 2000 jet fleets—all inducted in phases during the 1980s—are slated to retire in batches beyond 2029-30.
