As the air forces of China and Pakistan continue to grow in strength and the Indian Air Force faces a shortage of fighter jets, the Ministry of Defense has established a high-level committee headed by Defense Minister Rajesh Kumar Singh to study the overall capabilities of the Indian Air Force through localization develop.
Government officials told ANI that the committee was formed after the Indian Air Force made a detailed presentation to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh at the Air Force Commanders’ Conference in the capital last month.
During the meeting, senior Defense Department officials were briefed on future fighter requirements and the gaps that need to be filled in terms of capabilities that the force would like to have over the coming period to address perceived threats faced by both parties.
Officials said the committee also has other senior members of the defense ministry, including Secretary of Defense (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar; Chief of Defense Research and Development Organization Dr Sameer V. Kamat; Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Chief Air Marshal T Singh is the member secretary of the committee.
The Defense Minister also attended the first meeting of the committee last week.
The committee is expected to submit a report to the secretary of defense within the next two to three months to provide a detailed assessment of the force’s needs.
The Indian Air Force has only introduced 36 new Rafale fighters among the 4.5-generation or above fighter jets. The Indian Air Force hopes to introduce a large number of these fighters to deal with the threat mainly posed by China. China also provides weapons and equipment to the Pakistan Air Force.
China may also now supply fighter jets to the Bangladesh Air Force, whose new government is not considered friendly to India.
The Indian Air Force’s plan to procure over 110 4.5+ generation fighter jets has been pending with the government for some time and the committee may suggest a way to meet this requirement through indigenous means.
The gap between aircraft armament and northern adversaries is also widening across all types of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.
The Chinese military is believed to possess long-range surface-to-surface missile systems with longer ranges and far greater numbers than those possessed by the Indian military.
The Indian Air Force’s future capability development mainly relies on local projects, but the LCA Mark 1A project has been delayed due to supply chain issues faced by the US supplier GE.
The Indian Air Force plans to have 114 fighter jets to be built in India by Indian manufacturers in collaboration with foreign OEMs to bridge capability gaps.
The Indian Air Force has stated that it is in favor of building through the indigenous route only for all future major procurement projects.