Need to catch up with China on technology production rate of military equipment: IAF Chief

05/10/2024

NEW DELHI, Oct 4: Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Friday said the IAF is aiming to have its entire inventory produced in India by 2047 under the indigenisation programme even as he asserted that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd must produce 24 Tejas light combat jets annually as promised to offset the delays in supplies.
At a press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8, he also said that India needs to catch up with China on technology and speed in production of military equipment, holding that “we are way behind” the neighbour.
Air Chief Marshal Singh, at the same time, said the Indian military is way ahead in terms of personnel including those operating various machines and platforms.
On the eastern Ladakh standoff between India and China, the IAF chief said the situation remains same as it has been for the last one-year-plus, but noted that the development of infrastructure “on the other side has been very rapid.”
“We are trying to match up with it. We are upgrading our airfields. There are new airfields coming up,” he said.
The chief of air staff underlined the importance of India becoming self-reliant in weapons and other systems and said it is important to face future security challenges.
“On the whole, IAF has got a vision. By 2027, we should have the entire inventory being either produced in India or developed and produced in India,” he said.
“In a conflict situation when 200 to 300 missiles are fired in one day, then you have to have manufactured them in India. You cannot afford to have them procured from outside,” he said.
His comments came when asked about Iran firing over 200 missiles into Israel a few days back.
The IAF chief said his force also has issues of supply chain breaking down because of the ongoing wars. “We have components which come from these regions. So maintaining those equipment is a challenge,” he said, in an apparent reference to the Russia-Ukraine war.
On the Tejas programme, the IAF chief said HAL must produce 24 aircraft as promised. “HAL has to keep the promise of building 24 aircraft per year. If that promise is kept, I think the delays can be caught up with,” he said.
The IAF has placed an order with HAL for 83 Tejas Mark-1A aircraft. The deliveries were to begin in March. However, not a single aircraft has been delivered yet.
To a question, air chief marshal Singh said three units of S-400 missile systems were delivered by Russia and it promised to deliver the remaining two units by next year.
Stressing on self-reliance in the defence sector, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Friday said that if victory is to be achieved in future wars, the number of indigenous fighter aircrafts and weapons will have to be increased and for this Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has to fulfill its promise of making 24 aircrafts every year.
Referring to the increasing importance of the strength of the Air Force in view of the changing circumstances and the current wars, he said that if HAL is not able to meet this challenge then private sector of the country will have to come forward for it.
The Chief of Air Staff boldly said that the number of squadrons of fighter aircraft in the Air Force cannot be increased overnight and added that the Air Force will have to fight with the aircraft and weapons it currently has.
The Air Force Chief, in response to questions at the annual press conference here on Friday, ahead of the 92nd Foundation Day of the Air Force on October 8, admitted that the Air Force has less number of squadrons of fighter aircraft but it cannot be increased overnight.
He said, "Nothing can be done in this situation because it is not a short term or a matter that can be bought overnight. Along with procurement, training is equally important and it takes time. It takes time not only to select the aircraft but also to induct it into the Air Force".
The Air Force Chief said that even if the Air Force buys two or three squadrons at once, training for those aircraft also takes time, which is necessary.
It may be mentioned that the number of squadrons of fighter aircraft in the Air Force is 31, much less than the approved number of 42. The Air Force has been facing shortage of aircrafts for the last decade.
The CAS said, "The project of light combat aircraft Tejas is getting delayed.
HAL had promised to manufacture 24 aircrafts every year and if this is accomplished then the position of the Air Force in terms of aircraft will improve. It is a matter of concern if this promise of HAL is not fulfilled. HAL will have some limitations and real problems".
"It is also a patriotic organization and for some reason the work might not be getting done. Anyway we cannot depend on one agency, the private sector will have to come forward to meet the need of indigenous aircraft," the Air Force chief said.
Clarifying the position of the Air Force, he said that the IAF will have to fight only with the aircrafts and weapons it has.
"In such a situation the importance of training increases and we are laying great emphasis on it. The Air Force is conducting intensive training in war-like situations and constant attention is being given to it," the CAS said.
Stressing on the self-reliance in the defence sector, he said that the country's manufacturing agencies will have to increase production to meet the needs of the armed forces and enable them to win the war.
He said that in case of war and conflict, if you are dependent on external weapons, vested interests can disrupt your supply chain.
The Air Force Chief said, "If you have to fight a war, your weapons should be indigenous. You cannot trust the supply chain of the weapons you purchase. We should have weapons made in our country".
Referring to the timeline for manufacturing of various aircrafts and other weapons being made in the country, especially all variants of Tejas, he expressed hope that by the year 2047, all the aircrafts and weapons of the Air Force will be indigenous.
With regard to the situation on the Eastern Ladakh side, the IAF chief said, "The infrastructure development on the other side including construction of air fields is at a rapid space. We are trying to match with that. We are also upgrading our air fields. There are also new airfields coming up in area like Nyoma and others and that is being progressed at a fast pace. We are also beefing up the capacities of our existing air fields".
In response to another question related to competition and comparison with China, he said, "We have our own assessments about China and we have confidence in them. We are better than China in terms of training and exposure and practice. But China is ahead of us in terms of technology".
To a question related to the need for Iron Dome on the lines of Israel for protection from missiles, he said that India is purchasing the defence system for this. It is another matter that a large number of air defence systems will be required to protect every important place in the entire country.
On the Agnipath Scheme, the CAS said, "We are getting positive feedback on the Agniveers. We were asked if we could absorb more than 25 percent and we said we can but the decision has to be taken by the government".
This year the foundation day of Indian Air Force will be celebrated in Chennai. To mark the occasion, a spectacular air show has been organized at Marina Beach on 6th October while the main function will be held at Tambaram Air Force Station, Chennai on 8th October.
As many as 72 aircraft of 22 types of Air Force will perform aerobatics in the air show on Marina Beach. The expected footfall will be ten to 12 lakh.
This time the Air Force is trying to break the record of Limca Book of Records in terms of visitors.

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