- Self-reliance cannot come at the cost of reduced military capability. If the development of our military platforms is lagging, we will have to find interim solutions, even if it means relying on imports.
- The IAF must not lose technological superiority when it comes to state-of-the-art fighter aircraft on the altar of Atmanirbharta, not at least against Pakistan.
- India’s military planners and the civilian leadership must realise that while Atmanirbharta in defence is necessary, it must not come at the cost of our national security.
The Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Air Marshal AP Singh, maintaining the tradition of telling the truth, recently said, “Atmanirbharta[1] cannot be achieved at the cost of our national security.” He made this statement at a seminar and exhibition on Air and Missile Defence India 2024, organised jointly by the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) and Indian Military Review (IMR).
However, his statement must not be misconstrued, and any aspersion on India’s attempt to become self-reliant or Atmanirbhar, particularly when it comes to defence, is unwarranted. That is why one must try to delve deeper into what he meant. In his speech, he further said, “If geopolitics has a lesson, it is to be self-reliant,” but India’s defence manufacturing sector should not compromise the country’s security.
In the same conclave, former IAF director general Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd) supported Singh’s remarks, emphasising the importance of maintaining military strength. “Self-reliance cannot come at the cost of reduced military capability. If the development of our military platforms is lagging, we will have to find interim solutions, even if it means relying on imports.”
In the scheme of things, this was perhaps one of the most important statements made by a senior military officer and to give context, it has now been reported that pilots from Pakistan Air Force have now started to train in the fifth-generation Chinese stealth fighter J31 which China sees as a potential for export markets. This is a very important and alarming development as the IAF is now operating with a depleted fighter squadron. Ironically, India has always been the dominant force when it came to military aviation technology in the subcontinent.
In that conclave Air Marshal Singh also added, “The rate at which our adversaries are building their numbers and incorporating new technologies is continuously widening the capability gap.” Currently, The IAF’s requisite authorized strength[2] is 42 squadrons, and with the prospect of a two-front war wherein air dominance is key for victory, the squadron numbers are only expected to rise to 35-36 by the middle of the 2030s.
In November 2022, when a joint Indo-French exercise Garuda VII in Jodhpur was being conducted, then IAF Chief Chaudhari[3] said that India would need about five squadrons of ‘4.5 generation’ fighter aircraft to accomplish the IAF’s immediate commitments. At present the only fighter that is 4.5 generation is the French Rafale fighter and the IAF has only 36 of these i.e. two squadrons.
Recently in a news report published in Time of India[4], it was reported that “India has now put finishing touches on the mega indigenous plan to make its existing Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets much more lethal with advanced radars, avionics, longer-range weapons and multi-sensor fusion to ensure they are capable of air combat for another 30 years.
“Atmanirbharta cannot be achieved at the cost of our national security.”
The IAF currently has 259 Sukhois in its arsenal and it is the bulk of its combat fleet the idea is to upgrade the fighter and take its capabilities closer to a fifth-generation fighter. But experts think this is only a temporary solution and by the time India manages to induct Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) a single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather fifth-generation stealth, multirole combat aircraft, China would have already been operating a sixth-generation fighter.
For India, The development and production of the Tejas fighter jet, an indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) is a significant achievement. However, this project which was heading in the right direction is suffering as there are delays in engine procurement from the United States. The Tejas uses a GE F404 engine, produced by General Electric. More recently, India has been working on integrating the more advanced GE F414 engine into the Tejas Mk2 variant. These engines are crucial for providing the necessary thrust and performance for the aircraft. However, delivery delays would mean more time in the integration of these engines causing significant setbacks in the overall timeline of the Tejas program.
Apart from engine procurement issues, other factors contributing to delays include design changes, technological challenges, manufacturing hurdles, and the stringent testing and certification processes required for military aircraft. Efforts to indigenize various components and reduce dependency on foreign suppliers have also added to the developmental timeline.
This is why the military planners and the civilian leadership must realise that while Atmanirbharta when it comes to defence is necessary, but at the same time it must not come at the cost of our national security. The dynamics of air power is that a nation like India with a growing economy simply cannot rely on legacy fighter jet platforms. If we look at history, the Allies during the Second World War, did not invade France until they were certain they had air superiority and dominance.
In an article published in Foreign Policy[5], The Next Generation Air Dominance program, conceived by DARPA in 2014 to develop the sixth generation fighter, envisions the pairing up of pilots with drone systems. This would include advanced manned fighters as well as a fleet of around 1,000 autonomous “loyal wingman” drones which would autonomously assist a pilot in combat. In this way, it will not be anything like a traditional fighter jet.”
However, this program is facing budget constraints and if the US is feeling the pinch of cost, India will not fare any better and the proof is the defence budget presented in July 2024. That is why the time has come to take the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) acquisition program forward. While it is prudent to develop our indigenous technology that has no clear delivery date, it is necessary to have fighters that are 4.5 generation, with advanced weapons and radar so we can maintain air superiority and dominance.
For a country like India, the military will always have to use legacy weapons but when it comes to air power, pitching a Mirage 2000, a fine fighter jet against a J20 or a J31 could prove costly. The IAF must not lose technological superiority when it comes to state-of-the-art fighter aircraft on the altar of Atmanirbharta, not at least against Pakistan.
(The author is a freelance writer and has published articles on defence and strategic affairs and book reviews. He tweets @LaxmanShriram78. Views expressed are the author’s own.)
References:
- [1] https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/aatmanirbharta-but-not-at-nations-expense-indian-air-force-vice-chief-ap-singh-437912-2024-07-20
- [2] https://euro-sd.com/2023/03/articles/29983/the-indian-air-forces-falling-squadron-strength/#:~:text=The%20IAF’s%20requisite%20authorised%20strength,the%20middle%20of%20the%202030s.
- [3] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1875415
- [4] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/india-finalizes-plan-to-upgrade-sukhoi-30mki-fighter-jets-with-advanced-capabilities/articleshow/111910699.cms
- [5] https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/07/05/u-s-fighter-jets-air-force-f-35-sixth-generation/
Balaji is a freelance writer with an MA in History and Political science and has published articles on defence and strategic affairs and book reviews. He tweets @LaxmanShriram78. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Aayush Pal 
Piyush Anand