New Delhi, Oct 1 (Inditop.com) The Indian Air Force (IAF), which will be completing 77 years next week, has planned an ambitious modernisation drive that will see a quantum jump in its force levels and capabilities.
“We will be completing 77 years of existence. And as the spectrum of capability gets wider we need to modernise to have capability edge over most of the air forces in the world,” the IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said.
He noted that the IAF of the future will increasingly be called upon to ensure the inviolability of India’s enhanced strategic borders that now extend from the Straits of Hormuz to the Straits of Malacca and include the Central Asian region.
“In IAF we cannot be adversary-specific. So we thrust on capability requirements of today and in future to meet country’s aspirations,” Naik said.
“As far as capability is concerned we would like to strengthen four pillars – to be able to see first and the farthest, to be able to reach farthest and first to project force across the country’s area of aspiration, to hit accurately and hard, and in the last to be able to protect national assets during peace and war time,” Naik said at a customary annual press conference ahead of the Air Force Day Oct 8.
The induction of force multipliers like the Israeli Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and Russian air-to-air refueller IL-78s have already added to the IAF’s war fighting capabilities.
“We already have AWACS. One is already there and another two will arrive by the year end… We have land based Aerostat radars and we will be seeking more of these systems,” Naik said.
The AWACS and Aerostat have strengthened IAF’s capability to see beyond enemy lines and provide better surveillance.
Seeking to maintain its combat edge over other air forces in the world, the IAF will add more sophisticated platforms to its fleet.
“The file of flight refueller is pending with the finance ministry and after that it will go to the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) for clearance. We have already signed contract for C-130 Hercules. By 2011 we should have them. They will be based in Hindon and the infrastructure is coming up for it,” the IAF chief said.
The IAF is also considering the US C-17 transport aircraft to augment its strategic airlift capability.
“We are going for very heavy aircraft. Lots of aircraft are being considered like C-17. The IL-76s which are already with the IAF are of older technology,” said the air chief.
Besides this, the development of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft and Multi-role Transport Aircraft with Russia is also progressing well, he said.
To increase its strategic lift capability, the IAF will acquire helicopters including VVIP helicopters, medium lift and light helicopters.
“The acquisition file of VVIP helicopters is pending with the finance ministry and we will be acquiring 80 medium lift helicopters,” he said.
