A New Dawn
29th of July 2020 marked the IAF’s entry into the next gen era. As the CAS, Air Chief Mshl RKS Bhaduria himself received the first batch of 5 Rafales at Ambala; there were celebrations around the country. Especially under the circumstances of recent clashes with our North Eastern neighbour, the arrival of the first contingent of five Rafales has been a morale booster for an average Indian. People seemed to appreciate the long pending pressing requirements of their Air Force, which were mired in political controversies before realisation. They rejoiced the arrival of a potent weapon even as that was excessively delayed and has been only a part fulfilment of the needs. Needless to say, the air veterans’ fraternity has been as excited as the rest, while getting reassured of their very own Air Force’s capability enhancement.
We share the joy of 17 Squadron in becoming the front end of the IAF representing its might. Vampires to Hunters to Mig-21s, the Golden Arrows have held a place of pride in the Air Force before being number plated in 2016 for even bigger things to follow. It was a fitting tribute to the squadron’s contribution when it was resurrected for Rafales in 2019 by its former Commanding Officer and the then CAS, Air Chief Mshl BS Dhanoa. Between Golden Arrows and Ambala Air Base, they share a number of former Air Chiefs as their Commanding Officers - indicative of the vitality of this combination of the squadron and the base.
The nation and IAF are proud of the indigenous development of Tejas. Even if that was planned to replace Mig-21s and has been alarmingly delayed, the fleet will be a force multiplier. Though so late, the Tejas fleet with several enhancements is picking up momentum. Hopefully, the HAL will stand firm alongside the Air Force in the long term on this count with the Mk-II following in.
Indian Air Force has faced overwhelming odds in the process of its modernisation challenges. The need for a precarious balance between the requirements of advanced technologies and support to indigenisation has been most vital in the Air Force. Despite hardships, we have consistently supported indigenisation. However, we haven’t always received trustworthy responses. One may be amazed to recall that over two decades ago the need for the Su-30 acquisition was being debated because “the LCA was coming!”
The IAF has had to delicately balance indigenisation optimism with reality to harmonize its perspective plans. Considering an average procedural delay of a decade, one would wonder how the IAF has been managing with obsolescence coupled with the dwindling squadron strength.
One may continue to lament that by now there could have been a significant number of the ‘126 MMRCA’ in service - the rest rolling in gradually with indigenous assurance. However, back to reality, let us look at the positives. The best thing to happen with this current Rafale procurement is that the aircraft are coming in an operationally ready state. Most previous acquisitions took a long time to settle down following years of development and integration effort before getting to our desired operational capability. This fleet adds to the punch straightaway and gets suitably noticed by the adversaries keenly watching the happenings. A squadron each in the north-west and the north-east will be a deterrent enough.
We had to compromise the requirement of development of indigenous capability because of the excessive delay in MMRCA procurement and the resultant smaller order. This dent will take a long time to repair. Now, will be time for the Air Force and the indigenous design & development groups to resolve to get going to build an indigenously supported mighty Air Force that our adversaries truly fear to take chances with.
This is not the forum to discuss reasons for the long and protracted delays in the acquisition of our most essential weapon systems – political controversies, bureaucratic tangles, or both. However, one wishes that as a nation we learn our lessons soon lest we face an irrevocable situation.
Well, India rests assured that despite all odds, its Air Force is relentless in its pursuit of excellence and endeavour to “touch the sky with glory!”
