Air force chief expresses concerns for delay in modernisation - India Today

Chief of Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha at a news conference in the Capital on Saturday. The government has a tough task at hand as the Indian Air Force (IAF) is running out of fighters because most of its induction programmes, from the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) at the lowest end and mid-segment Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) to the futuristic Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), are struggling to meet deadlines. IAF chief Arup Raha said on Saturday that he was concerned that "things are not going on time". He said deadlines have not been adhered to at a time when there is a drawdown because of the ageing fleet. The IAF continues to maintain the bare minimum squadron strength of 34 and cannot afford to go down further. Officials acknowledge that it will be a challenge to keep things afloat.

Government

The Air Chief Marshal could not conceal his unease during a press conference in the Capital on Saturday. "It is India's air force, not my air force," he said. But he was confident that the government is seized of the matter. He ruled out going in for the option of buying some aircraft off the shelf to meet urgent needs.

"This government means business," he said. All programmes are being constantly reviewed and the service chiefs have direct access to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who meets them separately at least once a month over and above all routine engagements.

The IAF had planned for a three-tier induction of fighters. The new line of fighters would in New Delhi be a mix of the indigenous LCA, medium multi-role aircraft and next generation stealth jets.

The LCA is set to miss a December 2014 deadline for getting final operational clearance. The series production of LCA Mk-I for the first two squadrons is already delayed. The IAF pilots have not even started training on LCAs because flight manuals are still being written.

On the MMRCA project, Raha was hopeful that negotiations with French aviation major Dassault for the Rafale omni-role fighters would be completed soon. He accepted it would take another three to four years before the first squadron of Rafales could be raised. This effectively means a timeframe of 2015-16 if there is no further delay in signing the agreement.

The FGFA, which is being jointly developed with Russia, has been hit hard by major delays. Raha acknowledged that some issues regarding Indian work-share in the programme need to be resolved.

The FGFA is a long-term acquisition that would take at least eight years from the signing of the contract, which is nowhere in sight as India and Russia have still not finalised the final design of the futuristic jet.

India has been reduced from a joint collaborator to equal financing partner. While it is bearing 50 per cent of the $10.5-billion cost of the project worked out in 2011, its work-share is only 13 per cent. This arrangement is unacceptable to the IAF.

Test case

Apart from combat jets, there is an urgent need to acquire light helicopters. Raha expressed confidence that the government's decision to allow Indian private companies to manufacture helicopters in the country would be a test case for the "Make in India" policy.

The government's decision to scrap a contract for 197 light helicopters led to apprehensions that the armed forces would be hit hard because of further delays in procurement.

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