Harsha Kakar
Compared to the army and the navy, the air force is far younger, only 110 years old. It is also the most versatile and powerful means of causing destruction and demolition. Without air support, most operations in today’s battle field environment would flounder. Finally, it is also the costliest to procure, maintain and sustain. Therefore enhancement of air power needs planning but cannot be ignored.
Prior to the visit of the Prime Minister to the US, the cabinet cleared the procurement of two variants of helicopters. These are the attack and transport variants. Other purchases in the pipeline or already contracted for enhancing air power and air defence capability include missile armed drones from Israel, transport aircraft from the US and the latest, Triumf missile defence systems from Russia.
Added to this would be the induction of Rafale fighters from France and upgraded and home produced Tejas fighter aircraft. The air force has already inked a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited to integrate all radars of the army, navy and the civil with the air force, thereby ensuring a coordinated air defence for the country. The ongoing ‘make in India’ campaign would also see three variants of light helicopters soon being manufactured in India.
The Government has begun to build air power. The defence minister recently stated, “A superpower is moving towards us and we cannot take any risks in times of emergencies.” This statement and the government’s recent procurement actions, project their strategy for dealing with threats as they emanate in the neighbourhood. Further, in case of hostilities, threats from missiles (nuclear and non- nuclear) would always be high.
Military power of China is growing and so are the standoffs between the two countries. China continues to flex its muscle in the South China Sea, while slowly making inroads into India’s backyard by developing the Gwadar port in Pakistan and creating the China- Pakistan economic corridor. It already has a base in the coco islands of Myanmar. The Chinese have been developing airfields in Tibet and most of them, though claimed to exist for non-military purposes, are capable of handling the complete range of Chinese military aircraft. The existing Chinese missile deployments in Tibet can engage targets panIndia.
The terrain on the northern borders is mountainous with limited roads,hence movement of troops and stores take time.The secan also be severely hampered by road conditions and destruction of choke points. The first set of targets for any attacking force in mountains is destruction of bridges and choke points to isolate the battle field.
On the western border, while bilateral relations with Pakistan continue to move forward at a snail’s pace and terrorism is unlikely to cease, there is a need to develop capabilities to defeat the strategy of terrorism. It would involve striking specific targets from a distance with minimum collateral damage. A strong air power, with an integrated radar network and anti- aircraft and anti-missile systems, would be a deterrent for any attempt of misadventure from Pakistan.
The desired air capabilities which the air force in conjunction with the army need include strategic movement of troops, identification of incoming aircraft and missiles and their timely destruction as also support to ground forces. They also need a capability to strike specific targets like terrorist camps or military installations, with pinpoint accuracy.
These are now in the process of being achieved by the procurement of the heavy lift transport aircraft and helicopters, modern missile defence systems and integrated radar networks. The induction of the Rafale and the Tejas, along with the capable in- service Sukhoi’s would provide the air force with the teeth for counter air and ground support operations. Missile armed drones and attack helicopters would enable destruction of specific targets like terrorist camps or military installations with pin point accuracy. Thus as we enhance our air power, we also secure the nation from unwanted misadventures.
The air force is also employed whenever there is a natural disaster like floods or earthquakes. The procurement of heavy lift aircraft and helicopters would ensure timely provision of assistance and rescue when needed. India has always been at the forefront of providing assistance to nations during calamities. Here again transport aircraft would be employed for moving in relief material and expertise.
While procurement processes are on, induction and integration with existing equipment takes time. The platforms being contracted for today would commence entering the inventory after a period of approximately two years or more.The complete induction would take an additional couple of years. Hence this capability would in reality be fully functional about five to seven years hence. During the interim phase, the government would need to consider alternate options or enhance the life of existing equipment with timely upgrades.
A major worry for any country, whose military is dependent on imported equipment, is the curbs placed by the supplier on its employment. It is also affected by the relations between the two governments. Spares and replacements get hampered at the crucial time, if the two Governments are not in sync. In fact one of the major agenda’s for the visit of the defence minister to Russia is to resolve issues pertaining to supply of spares for Russian equipment now in service.
By enhancing air power capabilities, the government secures the country from threats emanating from the neighbourhood. Similar action now needs to be undertaken for other branches of the military, thereby making the Indian armed forces, capable of dealing with any adversary or a combination of them. National security ensures national development, as both go hand in hand.Higher the income from a developed economy, the greater is the availability of funds for national security and the greater the security, the higher would be the investments.
(The author is a retired Major General of the Indian Army)
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