Induction of 35-40 fighters per year need of the hour: IAF chief
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that an in-house study conducted by the IAF showed that it must induct two fighter squadrons every year to cater to the numbers needed.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force is “very badly off in numbers”, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh admitted on Friday , pointing out that it must induct 40 fighter jets every year to stay combat ready. Singh added that the participation of private industry could help boost the aircraft production rate in the country to meet the growing needs of the world’s fourth largest air force .
He said that the IAF was pushing for a model to build new fighter jets that will involve a foreign original equipment manufacturer setting up a production agency in the country along with an Indian partner as it would also give the air force an alternative option for any future design including a stealth fighter rather than depending only on the capabilities of state-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
“At the moment, we are very badly off in terms of numbers. And the numbers that have been promised are also coming a little slow,” Singh said making a case for boosting the production rate of fighters. He was speaking at the Chanakya Dialogues Conclave --- Bharat 2047: Atmanirbhar in War.
Singh’s frank assessment of IAF’s challenges come weeks after he questioned HAL’s ability to meet the air force’s critical requirements in the backdrop of a lingering delay in the supply of the new Mk-1A fighter jets, saying he had “no confidence” in the plane maker.
On Friday, he said that an in-house study conducted by the IAF showed that it must induct two fighter squadrons every year to cater to the numbers needed, the existing shortfall and to replace the aircraft that will be phased out soon.
“We have fleets that will be phased out in the next five to 10 years. Those fleets will have to be replaced with new aircraft, and we already have vacancies available (shortfall). We are looking at 35 to 40 aircraft a year being produced somewhere. I understand capacities cannot come up overnight, but we need to start pushing ourselves towards that.”
The air force is grappling with a shortage of jets and operates around 30 fighter squadrons compared to an authorised 42. It is concerned about the current pace of the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) programme because of the possible risks a delay in the induction of new fighters could pose to its combat effectiveness.
Still, homegrown systems are the IAF’s priority, Singh said.
“I am very convinced in my mind that even if a homegrown system gives me a slightly lesser performance...85 to 90% of what I can get in the world market, the IAF will go for homegrown systems because that is the only way we can get over this (need) to look outward to get our systems. But at the same time, a homegrown system can’t just happen overnight. It will take time, it needs to be supported, and the IAF is committed to that,” he said.
The challenge for the IAF is to strike a balance between the need to become self-reliant and stay potent at the same time with the induction of new weapons and systems.
“HAL has promised that next year onwards, 24 LCA Mk-1As will be produced every year. I am very happy with that, as that number along with some Sukhoi-30s or some other aircraft will translate into 30 aircraft being produced by HAL alone,” he said.
“Alongside, if you have some private player coming in under the Make in India campaign, we can add another 12 to 18 aircraft every year. We can reach the numbers that are needed, but we need to make sure we don’t lose steam while we are pushing this,” Singh added.
He was speaking in the context of the production of C-295 military transport aircraft in India. European aircraft maker Airbus is jointly executing a ₹21,935-crore project with Tata Advanced Systems Limited to equip the IAF with 56 C-295 aircraft to modernise its transport fleet, including 16 in fly-away condition.
Airbus has already delivered several C-295s to the IAF and the last of the 16 fly-away aircraft is expected to join the fleet by August 2025. The first made-in-India C-295 will roll out of a facility in Vadodara in September 2026 and the remaining 39 by August 2031.
“We have a very good model of the C-295 aircraft being produced in India...We are pushing along the same lines even in our MRFA (multi-role fighter aircraft) case,” Singh said. The IAF is looking at inducting 114 fighter jets, to be made in India by a foreign original equipment manufacturer and a local partner, under the MRFA programme.
“What we are pushing for is that whichever design house comes...it will set up a production agency with an Indian partner to produce the fighter aircraft in India. And that will again give us an alternative option for any future design like AMCA (advanced medium combat aircraft) or anything else...to go to another design house, not just having HAL capabilities only. That way maybe we can double the production rate by going to the two of them,” said Singh, who is known to be a plain-spoken and straightforward military leader.
The defence ministry has constituted a top committee of experts to fix the problems that have delayed the entry of Mk-1A fighters into service and recommend measures to boost the production of the planes, including through increased participation of the private sector.
“I can take a vow today that I will not buy anything from outside, or I will wait for anything that is developed in India. But that may not be possible if it doesn’t come up at that pace...So there will be a requirement to go and look for something which can quickly fill up the voids,” he said, adding that it was important for all stakeholders to get their act together and ensure that timelines are met.
The defence ministry panel is expected to submit its report next week. The air force ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021 and plans to buy 97 more Mk-1As at a cost of around ₹67,000 crore.
