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The Indian Air Force (IAF), which is down to 31 fighter jet squadrons (some 16-18 planes in each squadron), is banking on rapid induction of the indigenous Tejas and a separate programme with a foreign partner to ramp up numbers.

The IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, while addressing a press conference ahead of Air Force Day, 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.

The chief added, “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.

‘Transforming for the Future’

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

Phasing Out of Obsolete Aircraft

The Indian Air Force (IAF) maintains that its sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons will remain sacrosant, even though its current numbers have fallen to 31 squadrons. In actual terms, 31 squadrons doesn’t mean “31 squadrons” because the availability ratio of some of the aircraft types was less than 50 percent.

With the growing presence of both Pakistani and Chinese Air Forces, for the IAF, quantity matters when it comes to the ability to operate in a large geographical area and persistence which refers to the ability to conduct 24×7 air patrols. However, even if the entire planned procurement happened without any glitch or time delays, the IAF may just about reach 35 squadrons, against a sanctioned strength of 42, by 2035-36.

Achieving the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons by 2036 is dependent upon the induction of the Tejas Mark 2, the indigenous 5th generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and 114 fighter aircraft for which a Request For Proposal (RFP) is still awaited.

Over the next 15 years, multiple squadrons would be phased out, starting with the three remaining MiG 21 Bison squadrons, which would be out of service by 2025. Following this, six squadrons of aging Jaguars would start being phased out as well, a process that will end by 2031-32. That is when the upgraded fleet of the Mirage 2000s and the MiG 29s will start getting phased out.

Last of the Remaining MiG-21s to Retire

The IAF is set to retire one of its four remaining squadrons of the ageing MiG-21 fighter jets on September 30. The other three MiG-21 squadrons will be phased out by 2025.

Several MiG-21s have crashed in recent years, with the accidents turning the spotlight on India’s longest-serving fighter plane, its safety record and IAF’s plans to replace the ageing jets with newer models in the coming years. Over 400 MiG-21s have been involved in accidents over the past six decades, killing around 200 pilots.

More MiG-21s have crashed than any other fighter jets because they formed the bulk of the combat aircraft in the IAF’s inventory for a long time. The air force had to keep its MiG-21 fleet flying longer than it would have liked because of delays in the induction of new aircraft, as previously reported.

The air force got its first single-engine MiG-21 in 1963, and it went on to induct 874 variants of the Soviet-origin supersonic fighters to bolster its combat potential.

IAF is inducting different variants of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft to replace the MiG-21s.

Replacements Planned

The IAF has already ordered 83 LCA Tejas Mk 1A and plans to place an order for the Tejas Mk 2 as well besides the indigenous 5th Generation fighter aircraft, both of which are still in the design phase.

The IAF is keen on the 114 Medium Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) for which it is in the process of firming up the technical requirements, following which a “Request for Proposal (RFP)” would be sent out.

The tender has been pending for long. While initially it was felt that the government may go in for a strategic decision and enter into a government to government contract with France for more Rafale, it appears that the controversy surrounding the original deal has made the government wary. Hence, a decision has been taken to go in for a MRFA contest. The IAF is in the process of taking commitments from the vendors regarding the indigenization element.

IAF to Get New Weapon Systems Branch

Moving to synergise operational requirements of the Indian Air Force, the government has approved the creation of a new Weapon Systems branch which will be responsible for all IAF weapon system operators, and bring them under one roof. The announcement was made by the IAF chief on Air Force Day 8 October.

The Branch will cover 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.

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. 

A specialised branch will facilitate induction of more complex weapon systems. 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. It would do away with piecemeal deployment of officers from non-specialised branches and institutionalise the non-flying operational cadre. Pilots would be spared from doing the task, thereby making them available for flying duties. 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.

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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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“LCA Mark 2 fighter aircraft development project has been cleared by the government. This would pave the way for designers to develop an advanced 17.5-tonne single-engine aircraft. Development of new aircraft is to be completed by 2027,” Aeronautical Development Agency chief Girish Deodhare told on the project.

In a telephonic conversation from Bengaluru, Deodhare said the project would benefit from the progress made in the LCA Mark 1A programme and would help in the development of the fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft project.

He said the government has cleared the development of prototypes of which, the first is likely to roll out in a year and the project is scheduled to be completed by the year 2027 after extensive flying trials and other related work.
The DRDO feels that the aircraft would be in the category of the Rafale class aircraft in terms of avionics and capabilities but lighter in weight.

The government has also cleared that the engines to be used in the aircraft should be Made in India after the initial development phase.

The DRDO would be developing the aircraft with a GE-414 engine which is the advanced version of the GE-404s that power the existing LCAs in service and the 83 LCA Mark 1As which would start getting inducted into IAF in the next couple of years.

At present, 30 LCAs are in service with the IAF and two are being used by the

The AMCA aircraft development proposal is also with the government and is expected to be approved in near future but with a lot of Indigenisation inputs from the government.

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The IAF has initiated a contract worth €27 million, in September 2021, with the manufacturer to buy the fighters, eight of which are in ready-to-fly condition. The report also revealed that these aircraft, which will cost €1.125 million each, will soon be shipped to India in containers.

Two Mirage 2000 trainer fighters were received in November 2021.

The Mirage fighters

The Mirage-2000 is undoubtedly one of the IAF’s most versatile and deadliest aircraft and it was first commissioned in 1985. Soon after inducting the Mirage, IAF gave it the name — Vajra — meaning lightning thunderbolt in Sanskrit. It is developed by Dassault Aviation and took its first flight in 1978 and was inducted into the French Air Force in 1984. Indian airforce mirage 2000 India had placed an initial order of 36 single-seater Mirage-2000 and four twin-seater Mirage 2000 in 1982 as an answer to Pakistan buying United States-made F-16 fighter jets by Lockheed Martin. The Mirage-2000 played a decisive role in the 1999 war of Kargil and turned it in India’s favour. In 2004, the government placed an additional order of 10 Mirage-2000 planes taking the total tally to 50 jets.

It was in 2011 that another contract was signed that saw the Mirage 2000 jets being upgraded to Mirage 2000-5 Mk — increasing the life of the planes, which will now serve till 2030. The Mirage 2000 is powered by a single shaft engine called SNECMA M53, making it light and simple. The plane weighs 7,500 kg (dry) and has a total takeoff weight of 17,000 kg. The fighter jet can attain a maximum speed of Mach 2.2 (2,336 kmph) and can travel 1,550 km with drop tanks. It can touch a maximum height of 59000 feet. In comparison, India’s other fighter and more advanced fighter jet — the Russia-made Sukhoi Su30MKI has a speed of 2,120 kmph (Mach 2), slower than the Mirage-2000 and is heavier too.

This gives the Mirage-2000 an advantage in quick operations. The Mirage 2000 comes loaded with a fly-by-wire flight control system and Sextant VE-130 HUD, which displays data related to flight control, navigation, target engagement, and firing. The Mirage 2000 is capable of carrying laser-guided bombs, air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. It also boasts of a Thomson-CSF RDY (Radar Doppler Multi-target) radar onboard. Apart from India, Mirage 2000 is used by France, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Peru, Taiwan, Peru, Greece and Brazil.

Used in Balakot strikes

On 26 February 2019, 20 fully armed Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft entered Pakistani airspace and dropped 1,000-kg laser-guided bombs on Jaish-e-Mohammed terror launch pads across the Line of Control. The Balakot strike was the first-ever air operation done by India in Pakistan beyond the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Balakot airstrike was New Delhi’s retaliation for the terrorist attack in Pulwama, where a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy was attacked and 42 personnel were killed.

Mirage 2000 vs F-16

Following the Balakot airstrike, there were many who questioned which was the better fighter between the Mirage 2000 and Pakistan’s F-16 Fighting Falcons, what they term is their deadliest arrow in its quiver. When it comes to speed, the Mirage 2000 can reach top speeds of up to Mach 2.2 or 2,336 km/hour at high altitude. On the other hand, the F-16 Falcon — manufactured by General Dynamics – now Lockheed Martin — for the US Air Force is comparatively slower. It can reach a maximum speed of over Mach 2. The Mirage 2000 boasts of nine hardpoints for ?e??s?s carriage and a combat range of 1,850 km. The F-16, however, boasts more ?e??s? storage capacity than the Mirage. In terms of climbing speed, the Mirage wins over the F-16. While the Mirage has a maximum climbing speed of 60,000 feet per minute, the F-16 reportedly manages 50,000 feet per minute. Additionally, the F-16 has a combat radius going up to 1,370 km with two bombs weighing around 907 kg each while the Mirage can go 1,475 km with four 250-kg bombs.

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The provocation efforts by the Chinese side are being continued despite the matter being raised at the Corps Commander level talks.

Chinese aircraft have been regularly flying close to the LAC over the past three to four weeks, which is being seen as an effort to check Indian defence mechanisms in the region.

Indian Air Force (IAF) is responding to the situation responsibly and is not taking any chances to tackle the threat as well as not letting the matter escalate in any way.

As per the sources, the IAF has taken strong measures to respond to these provocations as it has moved its most powerful fighter jets, including the MiG-29 and Mirage 2000, to advanced bases from where they can respond to Chinese movements within minutes.

It seems that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is tense over the upgradation of IAF infrastructure in the Ladakh region, they added.

Sources further said that the IAF is responding to these actions in a “calibrated manner” and is also monitoring Chinese flight patterns in the area where they are flying at both low and high altitudes.

India is working at a brisk pace to upgrade its military infrastructure in Ladakh after China tried to unilaterally change the status quo on the LAC in the April-May 2020 time frame.

The provocation by Chinese fighter jets began around June 24-25 when a Chinese fighter jet flew very close to a point of friction in eastern Ladakh.

After that, there were several CBM violations between the two sides on the LAC near Chumar sector and this has been going on since then, they asserted, adding that the IAF, including its Rafale fighter jets, is also doing extensive flying in the eastern Ladakh region.

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The IAF has already placed orders for four squadrons of the LCA Mark 1A and has committed towards inducting at least seven squadrons of the fifth generation Indian fighter Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) which is also progressing very fast.

The LCA Mark 2 fighter is intended to be the replacement for the Mirage 2000 and Jaguar fighters when they are due for phasing out after a decade.

Sharing details on the IAF plans for future inductions, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari had stated that the force is looking at inducting aircraft only under the Make in India plan which includes the LCA Mark 1A, LCA Mark 2, AMCA along with the 114 multirole fighter aircraft.

The IAF has also decided that all its future surface-to-air ground weapon systems would be made in India and a large number of indigenous radars have already been deployed in operational areas.

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ASTRA is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) class of Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) system designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft.

The missile is designed to engage and destroy highly manoeuvering supersonic aircraft. The missile has all weather day and night capability. The ASTRA Mk-I Weapon System can be fitted to SU-30 Mk-I fighter aircraft.

In 2019, DRDO successfully flight tested ‘Astra’ from Su-30 MKI platform off the coast of Chandipur.

Astra BVRAAM has range of more than 100 kms with modern guidance and navigation techniques. The missile has midcourse guidance and RF seeker based terminal guidance to achieve target destruction with pin point accuracy. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed the ASTRA MK-I BVR AAM based on the requirements issued by the IAF catering for Beyond Visual Range as well as close combat engagement reducing the dependency on foreign sources.

Astra Missile is designed to be launched from fighter aircraft like SU-30, Mirage-2000, MIG-29, LCA-Tejas etc. Astra missile system is developed to neutralise aerial targets such as F-16 aircraft. Filled warheads have been successfully tested for static and dynamic performance.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has played a role in modifying the aircraft for weapon integration. More than 50 public and private industries have contributed in building the Astra weapon system.”The Transfer of Technology from DRDO to BDL for production of ASTRA MK-I missile and all associated systems has been completed and production at BDL is in progress. This project will act as a catalyst for development of Infrastructure and Testing facilities at BDL. It will also create opportunities for several MSMEs in aerospace technology for a period of at least 25 years. The project essentially embodies the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and will help facilitate realising the country’s journey towards self-reliance in Air to Air Missiles,” the defence ministry said in its release.

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The Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed a contract, on 31 August, to buy 24 phased out Mirages of the French Air Force, to improve the spares and airframe capability to help improve the serviceability of the around 50 Mirage-2000s in the Indian fleet. None of these aircraft would be used for flying. A squadron of the French Mirage jets had been phased out some time ago.

The cost of the contract has been put at 27 million euros. Out of 24, eight are in ready-to-fly condition. 13 are in complete condition with engine and airframe intact, while the remaining 11 are partially complete but with fuel tanks and ejection seats. These aircraft, which costed 1.125 million euros each, will soon be shipped to India in containers. IAF will also secure parts for its two existing squadrons of the aircraft.

As a multi-role platform, Mirage-2000 is possibly the most versatile machine in its class. Most French Air Force Mirage-2000s are no longer operationally deployed. Most of the 24 aircraft will be used as ‘spares’. IAF has already adopted the same process by buying Jaguar airframes and other spares from France.

This is the second such agreement that the Indian Air Force has signed for buying okayed airframes that will help one of the most potent aircraft fleets to continue for longer in service. They have helped in significantly improving operational availability.
India had acquired Mirage-2000 aircraft from France in the 1980s and they have been one of the most potent fleets of aircraft despite being over three decades old. The aircraft had taken part in the Balakot airstrikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan and destroyed a camp there. The aircraft had fired their Spice-2000 bombs accurately to take out targets deep inside Pakistan territory.

The Mirage fleet is undergoing a mid-life upgrade. The aircraft is becoming obsolete in France and is in immediate need of 300 critical spares.

The maintenance contract of the 50 fourth-generation Mirage 2000 C and B fighters purchased in 1985 expired in 2005, following which IAF signed another contract in 2015-2016 with the French original equipment manufacturer.

Mirage 2000 is a multi-role combat fighter, which has both single-seat and two-seat variants. The fighter platform is currently in use by the French Air Force, UAE Air Force, and the Republic of China Air Force apart from the IAF.

The Mirage 2000 can cruise at Mach 2.2 speeds, reach an approach speed of 140 knots and a maximum climbing 60,000 feet per minute. It takes about five minutes for the Mirage to climb up to altitudes of 36,000 feet.

The fighter jet has an operational ceiling of 55,000 feet and a service ceiling of 17,060m. It has a ferry range of 3,335 kilometers and an operational range of 1,550km. The rate of climb on the aircraft is 285 meters per second.

The aircraft is armed with 2 X 30-millimeter guns, air-to-air missiles MBDA MICA IR/RF, Matra R550 Magic-II, Matra Super 530D. Its air-to-surface missiles include AM.39 Exocet, AS-30L laser-guided missiles, and ASMP tactical nuclear cruise missile. The fighter jet also carries mk82 bombs.

The Mirage 2000’s VEH 3020 Head-Up Display has been designed by Thales Avionics and its Laser Designation Pod is a product of Thales Optronics

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