Single-engine fighter RFI “soon,” but
IAF at full strength only by 2032
Describing
the IAF’s requirement for a new single-engine fighter aircraft as “priority,”
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa noted that the case was being processed under the
Strategic Partnership model (Chapter VII of the Defence Procurement Procedure
2016). “The case is with MoD, RFI for singleengine fighters is likely to be
issued very soon,” he said on eve of Air Force Day.
The
Air Chief also pointed out that twinengine fighters typically cost
significantly more than single-engine aircraft, saying, “Right now we are
concentrating on the single-engine [fighters] so as to make up the numbers with
lower cost.” He did, however, stress that the IAF would continue to require
twin-engine fighters in the future. “Is there a requirement for twin-engine
[fighters] in the future? The answer to that is yes,” he concluded.
Carrying
forward the twin-engine theme, the Air Chief also made a few cryptic statements
on the IAF’s plans for fifth-generation combat aircraft. On the proposed
Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme, the CAS
acknowledged the slow pace of progress, saying “it has been on for the last ten
years” before commenting that the issue is now with the MoD, which has
classified inputs directly from the IAF as well as from the Air Marshal S
Varthman committee set up to look specifically into the FGFA project. He did
not specifically say whether the programme would proceed beyond the present
preliminary design stage or not, implying that the decision would now be taken
by the MoD.
Addressing
growing concerns about the IAF’s dwindling air combat strength, the Air Chief
outlined plans for force accretion even as he admitted the IAF would not reach
its sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons before 2032 (the end of the
15th five-year plan). The IAF is set to take delivery of the last 36 Su-30MKIs
of a total order of 272, 36 Rafales have been contracted for, and a total of
123 Tejas LCAs (20 Mk.I IOC-spec, 20 Mk.I FOC-spec and 83 Mk.IA) will be in
service within the next 5-8 years. This, said Air Chief Dhanoa, would ensure
that “the numbers will not go down below what we are right now,” as these
inductions would more or less offset the planned retirement of some 10-12
squadrons of MiG-21s and MiG-27s. “But they [the squadron numbers] will start
going up only when the single-engine fighter comes in under the strategic
partnership programme, and we will reach the number [of sanctioned squadrons]
by the end of the 15th Plan period : 2032.” While the Air Chief did state that
the IAF needs 42 fighter squadrons “for full-spectrum operations in a two-front
scenario,” he also pointed out that mitigating strategies are in place for the
current force structure.
On
training and simulation, the Air Chief noted that the IAF today makes much
greater use of simulators for technical and flying training than ever before.
Depending on the fleet type, the kinds of missions being trained for and so on,
the simulation to flying ratio can go as high as “about twenty per cent” said
the Air Chief, which means that some IAF pilots could spend up to one hour in
simulators for every 5 hours of actual flying. He noted that the Su-30MKI fleet
still did not have simulators, indicating that force-wide exposure to
simulation would increase as new technology was inducted.
The
Air Chief also revealed that the first batch of three women fighter pilots
commissioned in June last year (see Vayu IV/2016) have been assessed “at par”
with their male counterparts, and that a second batch of female fighter pilots
is currently undergoing Stage 2 training and will be commissioned in December
this year. At a later press interaction on Air Force Day at Hindon AFS, ACM
Dhanoa stated that the IAF planned to place these pioneering female fighter
pilots in MiG-21 Bison units, subject to vacancies at those squadrons. The Air
Chief emphasised that there was no bar to the induction of female fighter
pilots, and that the IAF would “accept whoever volunteers” but without a
dilution in standards. Female pilots would “have to make the cut,” observed ACM
Dhanoa
The
Air Chief summed up the future trajectory of the IAF, saying, “The Indian Air
Force today stands at the threshold of acquiring multi-spectrum strategic
capabilities, synonymous with India’s growing regional stature and expanding
national interests and is progressively nearing its goal of transforming into a
true Network Centric Aerospace Force. The IAF is also focussing on indigenous
acquisition of aircraft, radars, missiles and other aviation equipment in
consonance with the ‘Make in India’ initiative.”