IAF plans rejig in induction of fighters

NEW DELHI: With China “exponentially“ ramping up its air combat operations in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), even as Pakistan expands and upgrades its F-16 fleet, India is going in for a major rejig of its fighter induction and serviceability plans to combat any individual or collusive threat in the years ahead.

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Saturday said plans for induction and deployment of “potent assets“, as well as infrastructure development along the borders were underway , admitting that China was developing “tremendous“ military capabilities at a very rapid clip.

Asked if IAF could take out the terror camps across the border in Pakistan if required, Raha said his force had the requisite “capability“ but the “intent“ or “decision“ to undertake such surgical strikes “is a political one“. “We are not looking at one-front or two-front war. We just want capabilities to deter a war and project power in our area of strategic interest. We are looking at building our fighter squadrons to 42 by 2027,“ said Raha, expecting that the contract for the direct acquisition of 36 French Rafale fighters, which was decided during Modi-Hollande summit in April, to be inked before year-end.

However, just two new squadrons of Rafales, expected to cost around $5 billion, will not make up the desperately-required numbers with IAF down to just 35 fighter squadrons, which includes a mix of obsolete jets like MiG-21s and MiG-27s, being progressively retired, and new fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs grappling with poor serviceability rates.

“ I would certainly want more...at least six MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) squadrons, whether they are Rafales or some other alternative. But they have to be viable in terms of costs, transfer of technology and the Make in India policy ,“ said Raha.

Concurrently , the stress is on “improving“ the indigenous Tejas Mark-I fighter and then developing the indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) or AMCA (advanced medium combat aircraft) by junking the plans of a Tejas Mark-II. As was first reported by TOI, with the preliminary design work for the twin-engine AMCA over, the aim is to fly its first prototype by 2023-2024.

The thrust on AMCA, of course, puts a big question mark on the future of the proposed joint project with Russia to co-develop and co-produce a FGFA modelled on its Sukhoi T-50 or PAK-FA, with India unhappy with the technical, cost and delivery timeframes bedeviling the Russian FGFA. The PAK-FA, for instance, can still not supercruise, which is critical for the capability to “look first and shoot first“.

India is now banking its hopes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow in December to end the logjam, which may see an offthe-shelf purchase of 60-65 fighters to undertaking the joint production envisaged earlier.