It is a huge event for India to celebrate the 93rd Anniversary of the Indian Air Force, marked with glory, valour and decisive victories. Set up in 1932 by the British, IAF pilots distinguished themselves in the Second World War, and then right after the Independence, had to take to the skies to hit nasty intrusions by Pakistani forces.
In fact, Pakistan initiated five wars after its formation in 1947, and lost all five of them. Its worst defeat, historic, was in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War in which IAF dominated the East Pakistan skies and restricted PAF largely to its hangars in West Pakistan.
In the recent Operation Sindoor, IAF neutralised Pakistan army-led terrorist camps with precision.
Well, my idea here is to focus on shortcomings in IAF strength, in Numbers and Technology. IAF has an old sanction, from 2012, for 42 operational Squadrons. Or 42 x 18 = 756 fighter jets. If a provision is kept for 3 additional aircraft as MRSOW (Maintenance Reserve and Strike Off Wastage), then this number should be 882.
The additional aircraft have never been acquired, and IAF’s current reported strength is about 30 Squadrons, or 30 x 18 = 540. Most of these aircraft are of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao vintage, and the Mig 21, whose roar I first heard as a teenager in 1963 in Chandigarh, is being phased out only now. Shocking, IAF had to keep flying it for 62 years.
IAF’s only modern aircraft are the 36 French Rafales that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered in 2016 with deliveries from 2020.
Why the shortfall?
VP Singh cast a vicious curse on the acquisition process by alleging that Rajiv Gandhi took bribes in the 1986 Bofors gun deal with Sweden, and made three points: That: 1. RG took bribes; 2. The Gun fired backwards; and 3. Killed own troops. He promised to ‘give proof within six months,’ but nothing ever was offered.
His lies propelled VP Singh to the Prime Minister’s chair, replacing Rajiv Gandhi. But his campaign poisoned the environment. Whenever the Government, irrespective of who is in power, tried to acquire modern systems, with newer technologies, allegations of corruption – Paisa Khaya – erupted from nowhere, and found resonance in the media with many journalists readily believing that Bofors actually fired backwards. There’s never been even one loss of life, to date.
In fact, India won the 1999 Kargil War as Bofors lobbed 50 kilo shells on Pakistani positions, hidden behind Kargil mountains from 5,000 to 16,000 feet with precision, thanks to Bofors’ sophisticated electronic controls.
The idea of this story is to draw attention to IAF’s immediate requirement for advanced fighters, logically French Rafales as procedurally, a follow-on decision for new equipment is easier and less time-consuming. As against the competitive selection, which can take up to 7 years.
When Mr Modi’s Government ordered the Rafales on Emergency basis, there were allegations then also. But he has the Authority, and Responsibility, to take care of IAF’s requirements, and he is doing the needful. More jets are needed, so perhaps he can ensure jet-speed in the next steps.
Notably, It’s already been done for the Indian Navy with an order for 26 Rafale M in April 2025.
— Gulshan Rai Luthra
