India, desperate to modernise its largely Soviet-era fighter jet fleet to boost its air power, is concerned about Russian supply delays due to the Ukraine war and faces pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow.

The American delegation to the week-long Aero India show in Bengaluru, which ended on 17 February, was the biggest in the 27-year history of the show and underlines the growing strategic relationship between the United States and India.

In contrast, Russia, India’s largest weapons supplier since the Soviet Union days, had a nominal presence. Its state-owned weapons exporter Rosoboronexport had a joint stall with United Aircraft and Almaz-Antey, displaying miniature models of aircraft, trucks, radars and tanks.

At previous editions of the show, Rosoboronexport had a more central position for its stall, although Russia has not brought a fighter jet to Bengaluru for a decade after India began considering more European and U.S. fighter jets.

Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets have already entered the race to supply fighter jets for the Indian Navy’s second aircraft carrier and Lockheed Martin’s F-21, an upgraded F-16 designed for India unveiled at Aero India in 2019, are also being offered to the air force.

A $20 billion air force proposal to buy 114 multi-role fighter aircraft has been pending for five years, brought into sharp focus by tensions with China and Pakistan.

The F-35 is not being considered by India “as of now”, according to an Indian Air Force (IAF) source, but the display of two F-35s at Aero India for the first time was a sign of New Delhi’s growing strategic importance to Washington.

The United States is selective about which countries it allows to buy the F-35. When asked if it would be offered to India, Rear Admiral Michael L. Baker, defence attache at the U.S. embassy in India, said New Delhi was in the “very early stages” of considering whether it wanted the plane.

The United States has approved arms sales worth more than $6 billion to India in the last six years, including transport aircraft, Apache, Chinook and MH-60 helicopters, missiles, air defence systems, naval guns and P-8I Poseidon surveillance aircraft.

India also wants to manufacture more defence equipment at home in collaboration with global giants, first to meet its own needs and eventually to export sophisticated weapons platforms.

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The report assessed the total combat capabilities of various air services worldwide and rated them accordingly.

The Indian Air Force was ranked higher than its regional rival China and placed above the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the Israeli Air Force, and the French Air and Space Force.

The WDMMA employs a formula that considers values associated with the total combat strength of various countries’ air forces.

The formula generates the ‘TrueValueRating’ (TvR), which aids WDMMA in separating each power based on its overall strength and elements such as modernization, calculated help, assault, and guard abilities.

In this method, a country’s tactical air force is broken down not merely by the number of planes it has but also by the quality and diversity of its stock.

In any event, the WDMMA notes that the TvR is a work in progress that is constantly updated in accordance with the requirements. Special emphasis is placed on classifications that are generally overlooked by various powers, such as extraordinary mission, devoted plane power, CAS, preparation, and on-request units.

The US Air Force (USAF) had the highest TvR score of 242.9 in the Worldwide Air Powers Positioning (2022) assessment. It has a diverse fleet of aircraft, and numerous components are sourced domestically from the country’s extensive industrial base.

The USAF has specialized strategic bombers, CAS aircraft, a sizable helo and fighter force (many of which are multirole types), and hundreds of transport aircraft, with hundreds more on order.

WDMMA Rankings:
Interestingly, the top 2 places were taken by the US Air Force and US Navy, followed by the Russian Air Force, US Army Aviation, and US Marine Corps. The list is followed by the Indian and Chinese (PLAAF) Air Force.

Meanwhile, according to the report, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has a total of 1,645 active aircraft in its inventory.

Chinese Netizens Not Happy
While the Indian media welcomed the rankings, Chinese netizens questioned the capabilities of the Indian Air Force and WDMMA rankings.

Chinese netizens stated that the Indian Air Force is placed sixth, and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force is listed seventh because the website lacks such information on the Chinese Air Force.

Moving on, the Chinese article on social media read: for a long time, India has depended on foreign imports to boost its military capability.

In 2016, India paid nearly $8.7 billion for 36 upgraded Rafale fighter planes from France. At the moment, these fighter jets have also been deployed to the China-India and India-Pakistan border areas to gain a competitive advantage over the J-16 and J-20.

The article further reads – the Indian government has always insisted on promoting “Made in India,” but looking at India’s LCA Tejas, it is a disappointment.

The post claims – when the Chinese J-10 fighter jet was launched, the LCA was also hurriedly launched; when the J-10 was flight tested, LCA was in the testing stage; the J-10 fighter was inaugurated, the LCA was testing stage; the enhanced J-10B was launched, the LCA was still in the testing stage; when the J-20 stealth fighter was tested, the LCA was still being tested.

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