Making this announcement, on 8 October, at the Air Force Day parade in Chandigarh, the first outside the Delhi NCR, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said, “On this historic occasion, it is my privilege to announce that the government has approved the creation of a Weapon Systems Branch for officers in the IAF. This is the first time since Independence that a new operational branch is being created.”

 “This will essentially be for manning of four specialised streams of surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, remotely piloted aircraft and weapon system operators in twin and multi-crew aircraft. Creation of this branch will result in savings of over Rs 3,400 crore due to reduced expenditure on flying training,” he said.

Later, a senior IAF officer, explaining the need for a dedicated branch for weapon systems, said the establishment of a separate branch for missile system operators, unmanned aerial vehicles and weapon system officers of two-seater aircraft is an effort to synergise operational requirements which differ from active flying.

Pointing to the induction of more missile systems with complex operational dynamics and the future establishment of an Air Defence Command with integrated air defence assets of all three services, the officer said there was need to do away with piecemeal deployment of officers from non-specialised branches and institutionalise the non-flying operational cadre.

A long-felt need

Bringing all weapon system operators under one roof addresses a long-felt need in the IAF, ensuring a dedicated cadre. A specialised branch will facilitate induction of more complex weapon systems.

“Basically, the weapon systems operator in a twin-seater aircraft does not have to be a full-fledged pilot as his core competence is handling the weapons on board. We can gradually build up this cadre and phase away pilots from doing this task, thereby making him or her available for flying duties,” the officer said.

This separate branch is also expected to include officers who specialise as intelligence analysts and operate intelligence-gathering tasks in unmanned aerial vehicles as well as space-based assets. Here again, the need for building core competence in a separate branch has long been felt by the IAF brass, given the increasing role of UAVs and space assets in information gathering and advance warning.

The officer also referred to the accidental firing of a Brahmos in March and said an analysis of the incident had reinforced the belief that a dedicated cadre of missile commanders must be built.

In his address, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the induction of Air Warriors into the IAF through the Agnipath scheme is a challenge, but more importantly, it is an opportunity to harness the potential of India’s youth and channelise it towards the service of the nation.

“We have changed our operational training methodology to ensure each Agniveer is equipped with the right skills and knowledge to start a career in the Air Force. In December this year, we will be inducting 3,000 Agniveer Vayu for their initial training. This number will only go up in the years to come to ensure adequate staffing,” he said.

He said IAF is also planning on induction of Women Agniveers starting next year. Creation of infrastructure, he said, is in progress and streamlining of trade structure is being finalised.

From continued deployment along the borders, Humanitarian And Disaster Relief (HADR) operations to rescuing stranded Indians from conflict zones, the IAF has seen the entire spectrum of roles and tasks.

“The traditional domains of land, sea and air have expanded to include space and cyber. We are increasingly seeing the convergence of all these domains into one continuum in the form of hybrid warfare. The use of non-kinetic and non-lethal warfare to supplement kinetic means has changed the way wars will be prosecuted. Therefore, conventional systems and weapons will need to be augmented by modern, flexible and adaptive technology.”

“Technology has given us the wherewithal to be innovative. We need to accept the fact that tomorrow’s conflicts cannot be fought with yesterday’s mindset. To be able to execute all missions in an environment of denial will increasingly be the basis of our training in the Air Force,” he said.

Keeping these aspects in mind, the IAF chief said, there is a need to plan for integrated and joint application of combat power. “The key to success in multi- domain operations is to have flexible, robust Command and Control Structures which will allow a joint force to dominate across domains. No single service can win a war on its own. Work is in progress to enhance jointness amongst the three services,” he said.

The theme for this year’s anniversary celebrations – ‘IAF: Transforming for the Future’ — is very apt and highlights the Indian Air Force’s need to redefine, reimagine and recalibrate to transform into a contemporary and future-ready force, he said.

“Our fighting potential has to be sustained over the years through the induction of 4.5 Gen fighters, AWACS, AEW&C and flight refuelling aircraft. We have initiated necessary steps to ensure our fighter squadron strength remains at the desired level. Indigenous development of six AEW&C Mk-II has been sanctioned and we are actively pursuing the acquisition of ISTAR, UAVs, Counter UAS technology and strengthening our networks,” he said.

Modern armed forces, he said, have to be sufficiently self-reliant to ensure minimum disruptions. “Towards this, Atmanirbharta and Make-in-India are a step in the right direction. Our indigenous operational network AFNET, the backbone of all air operations IACCS, one of the largest maintenance management protocols

e-MMS and the fact that we are completely paperless in our offices through the e-Office application is a testimony to our commitment towards becoming self-reliant,” he said.

The LCA, ALH, Akash surface-to-air missile, Astra BVR, LCH and Brahmos, he said, are a few examples of the indigenous hardware that has already been inducted and operationalised.

He said the IAF has signed a contract for 83 LCA Mk 1A and is fully committed to the development of LCA Mk-II and the AMCA.

“The advent of drones, swarm drones, hypersonic weapons and space based ISR systems have added a new dimension to war fighting. To effectively handle the full spectrum, artificial intelligence is being used for quicker decision-making and analysis of big data. I am happy to report that several projects are well underway to utilise the potential of automation, data analytics and artificial intelligence to transform our operational philosophy,” he said

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The IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, while addressing a press conference ahead of Air Force Day, answered multiple questions on the fighter jet fleet. He said 83 of the Tejas Mark 1-A are on order and the proposal to make 114 medium-range fighter aircraft (MRFA) in India has been finalised.

The foreign manufacturers in the MRFA project have been asked to have a greater “Make in India” commitment.

Another 10 planes of the first lot of 40 Tejas will be delivered this year. “The project to get 12 additional Sukhoi-30 MKI and 21 of the MiG-29 is deferred,” he added.

On further long-term projects, the IAF chief said the force was committed to the indigenous Tejas Mark 2 and is looking at six squadrons and also the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The IAF will phase out the three squadrons of MiG-21 by 2024. The phasing out of the fleet of Jaguar jets — six squadrons — will start from 2025 and continue till 2032. By that time, the Mirage 2000 and MiG-29 fleets — three squadrons each — would be scheduled for phasing out, the IAF chief added.

On being asked if there was ever a thought to reduce the number of authorised fighter jet squadrons from the present 42, the chief said, “With the given numbers (31 squadrons), it will be impossible to keep watch and do combat air patrol all across the country.” The target of 42 squadrons would remain even though it may take a decade to meet it, the IAF chief said.

On being asked what would be benchmark of normalcy along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, he said, “The benchmark will be to return to the status quo as on April 2020 and complete withdrawal all along the LAC.”

LCH to make debut at Chandigarh air show

Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), inducted into the Indian Air Force at Jodhpur on Monday, will make its debut at the Air Force Day parade in Chandigarh. The IAF announced that three LCH from the 143-helicopter unit, Jodhpur, will take off from Chandigarh to take part in the air show to be conducted over Sukhna Lake on October 8. Apart the LCH, the IAF will display jets such as Rafale, Sukhoi 30 MKI, MiG 29 and Mirage 2000.

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IMR. In view of the existential Chinese threat how do you intend to make up deficiencies in aircraft, armament and essential resources in the short and long term?

CAS. The Chinese threat is not existential. While we continue to evaluate our current and future threat scenario as part of our planning process, we are taking suitable measures in terms of threat perceptions with respect to China for acquisition of platforms, weapons and capabilities in order to meet our capability requirement.  We have planned for induction of indigenous fighters such as the remaining LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Mk1 and the LCA Mk1A.  Further, we fully support the LCA Mk2 and AMCA (Advanced Multi-role Combat Aircraft) programmes. The remaining Rafales will also join the IAF by 2022.  Additional Su-30 and MiG-29 fighters are also in the pipeline.  Additional force multipliers such as AEW (Airborne Early Warning) Systems and FRA (Flight Refuelling Aircraft) aircraft are also under consideration.

Aerospace Commission

IMR. What is happening about setting up an aerospace commission, which was recommended years ago. Is it not doable? Does the IAF support the concept to bring in synergy in use of all aerospace resources like ISRO in the case of space.

CAS. Outer space has been recognized as a strategic domain with likelihood of future battles being fought in an integrated manner with increased utilization of space assets. To this end, the Defence Space Agency (DSA) has been formed to bring about the required synergy for operational control of all space resources in achieving our national military objectives. We fully support this concept. The DSA itself is an interim arrangement and we shall see its evolution to an Aerospace Command in times to come. As regards an Aerospace Commission, we have given our recommendations in the matter and support this evolution.

Light Combat Helicopter

IMR. The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) remains under development. When can we expect the IAF to be equipped with it? What is causing delays?

CAS. The RFP (Request for Proposals) for the helicopter for both IAF and IA (Indian Army) was issued in December 2017. The IOC (Initial Operational Clearance) for the LCH LSP (Limited Series Production) has been accorded and the cost has already been finalised by the cost committee. The contract is likely to be signed in this calendar year and we expect the induction to commence a year or so thereafter.

IMR. Would the IAF not like to be involved in the development of the LCA Mk 2 like the India Navy gets involved in its projects through design bureaus and leading the manufacturing effort. Can we improve HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) performance in the regards with more involvement of private companies or a consortium.

Design & Development

CAS. The IAF has been fully involved in the development of LCA through our team in flight test centre and project management at ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency). The Tejas variants and AMCA are indigenous fighters, which will form the core of our fighter fleet in the decades ahead. We are also deeply committed to the HTT-40 and the LCH programmes. The IAF is heavily invested in these projects. We have teams of test pilots, flight test engineers, programme managers and logisticians deeply embedded at all levels in the design and manufacturing complexes at DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation), HAL, ADA and other stakeholders.

In keeping with the requirements of an Atmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector, we see a major opportunity for the private sector. We feel our requirements could be met faster and more efficiently with a mix of public and private sector partnership, both in design and development and manufacturing.

Aeroengines

IMR. We made a fatal mistake when we declined an offer by Rolls Royce for the co-development of an aeroengine for HF-24. We repeated the same when Safran offered co-development of Kaveri engine as part of offsets of Rafale project. How do we move forward to get aeroengines technology?

CAS. For the AMCA programme to succeed, the design and development of an indigenous aero engine is a pre-requisite. The technology is niche and the process complex and expensive. This can happen with experience gained from the Kaveri programme and a collaboration of aero engine houses, academia, industry and defence PSUs. DRDO is considering various options with international design houses including Safran for co-development of an engine for AMCA and beyond.

Training

IMR. NDA cadets have moved from gliders to microlight. Systems are getting more complex but more automation, AI, robotics and simulators, can compress time frame of training and improve degree of difficulty for better proficiency. What changes have taken place in training philosophy of the IAF?

CAS. The training philosophy of the IAF has been adapted to keep pace with developments in the strategic space of operations. We have modified our basic training stage, which will see pilot trainees graduating with a B.Tech degree.
To promote jointness in operations, ground duty and technical branch officers will also now be inducted through NDA (National Defence Academy), expanding the inter-Services interaction across branches. Use of simulators for ground training such as for mechanical transport operators, e-training format for air warriors and more officers being sent for post-graduate courses to remain abreast of technological developments are some of the steps taken in this direction. Simulators have also become an integral part of our flying training right from the basic stage in the Pilatus PC-7 to frontline fighters such as the Su-30 MKI and the Rafale.

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