IAF Panicking?

[Awesome]

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/indias-air-power-crashlands-may-lose-edge-to-pak/22834-3.html

New Delhi: A crisis has been brewing in the Indian Air Force and it's about to blow up in the face of the government. The Indian Air Force (IAF) top brass has informed the Union Government that if corrective measures are not taken immediately, India will lose its air superiority over Pakistan.

"Unless immediate steps are taken to arrest the reduction in Indian Air Force's force levels, the nation will for the first time in its history, lose the conventional military edge over Pakistan."

This is a what the three-page letter of warning, written by Air Chief Marshal Tyagi to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, says.

A copy of the letter, which has raised serious concerns over the declining combat force level of the IAF, is available with CNN-IBN.

In his letter, the Air Chief Marshal writes, "Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is being beefed up with 44 F16s from America. They have a clearly defined goal of attaining parity with the IAF. With China supplying J 10 and JF 17 aircraft (fitted with Russian engines), PAF force levels of combat squadron will increase."

"Unless steps are taken to move ahead with procurement, the IAF's combat strength will deplete to a level, which would entirely neutralise the conventional superiority held by IAF since our Independence. PAF will have 19 to 26 squadrons by 2011-12, while the IAF could reduce to 26.5 by 2015."

Many say the situation is very serious and demands immediate attention.

 

[Goodperson]

Its a old news you still have that thread in PDF.

 

[Awesome]

Yeah this forum and that forum are two different entities

It's also recently been updated.

 

[Goodperson]

But I have seen you in both the places.

 

[Awesome]

I am one of PDF's oldest members out there.

 

[Awesome]

http://www.dailypioneer.com/columni...nist&file_name=mehta/mehta96.txt&writer=mehta

Air Force in a tailspin


What is the Ministry of Defence (MoD) taking more seriously: The Chief of Air Staff's letter written to the Defence Minister and leaked to the media; or, its contents that the IAF is losing its cutting edge which has been public for some time now. On Tuesday, an investigation was ordered to enquire into the leak.

The country's economy may have grown at an impressive 8.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2006-07, but national security which is only quantifiable in terms of operational capabilities is in serious decline. The most seriously impaired of the three services is the most potent - air power. The IAF has obviously failed to effectively project its declining regional deterrence because Governments and Ministers in charge of defence and national security do not take their service chiefs seriously till a crisis has erupted. In 1996, a frustrated Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Shekhawat, unable to draw the attention of the Government to the dangerous decline in the fleet strength of the Navy was forced to go public that orderbooks in shipyards had gone dry and that the operational decline of the Navy would adversely affect maritime security. Both the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the day reacted instantly but building security capacities is not an ad hoc business.

The IAF's story is no different from the Navy's. It had to virtually abandon its long-term re-equipment plan as the Five-Year Defence Plans of the combined services, though good on paper, never took off. It is not a well-kept secret that the IAF has slumped from an operational strength of 39.5 squadrons in 1999 to just 27 in 2007 and Pakistan close the gap with a 24-squadron strength. For long the IAF has enjoyed a decisive 2.5:1 advantage in air power over PAF specifically in numbers and quality of aircraft. We are wilfully surrendering that advantage to Pakistan let alone its buddy, China, which is helping it in building JF 17 Fighters and Y 8 Chinese AWACS.

The IAF is in a hopeless situation thanks to the combined mess of the LCA (Tejas) badly driven by ADA/DRDO and HAL and stone walling by the Government. The token order by IAF for 20 LCA has kept the project barely alive. The LCA project has consumed Rs 6,000 crore, 22 years and with no further hiccups will deliver the first operational squadron only by 2012. No one believes this will be possible unless the first two squadrons use imported fire control radars and engines. Not surprisingly, that decision has not been made so far.

So on the eve of the Air Force's 74th Raising Day, there is little to celebrate but much to ponder: How is the IAF going to maintain its air superiority with increasing retirement of ageing aircraft and no induction of new ones. With a big question mark over the delivery capacity and schedule of Tejas, and the Request For Proposals (RFP) for 126 multirole aircraft still being tossed around between North and South Blocks, only one conclusion can be drawn: The Government is ready and willing to accept a substantial decline in India's air power for a more equitable military balance with Pakistan. Few new aircraft are likely to join the IAF Order of Battle for the next 15 years unless some emergency decisions are taken now!

This is a very serious challenge for national security. In 1999, Air Chief Marshal Anil Tipnis is known to have first informed the Government about the problem of declining numbers of operational squadrons. Now it is the turn of outgoing CAS ACM SP Tyagi to remind the Government that the decline in the operational capability of IAF is assuming criticality. In early July he wrote a secret letter to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee outlining the problem and suggesting interim measures to plug the decline. This letter has reportedly been leaked to the media by the MoD. Strangely, it is the one that has ordered the enquiry.

The three-point Tyagi plan to check the operational decline consists of (a) purchase of 40 Sukhoi MKI in addition to the ones on order; (b) clearance of RFP for 126 MRCAs over which the Government has been sitting mysteriously for nearly two years and (c) India should sound Russia about restraining China from supplying Pakistan with the China-Pak jointly produced JF 17 fighter jet which has a Russian engine.

It is not known if the letter has referred to the exceptionally mismanaged LCA project and lack of Government directive. While the ADA has arrogated to itself the triple role of funding, managing and monitoring LCA, it is time the burden of labour is rationalised. ADA could draw a lesson from Pakistan's own LCA JF 17 which was commissioned much after Tejas but will become operational next year. Clearly, Tyagi is now urging the Government for some fire brigade action to maintain both numbers and quality of aircraft. Soon after he wrote the letter to the Defence Minister, he told the media, "The 126 new fighters will take 15 years. We cannot afford to wait that long. Numbers are falling. Our only option is to get something in a hurry." He warned the Government that the Air Force will nosedive to below the red line of minimum number of combat squadrons Speaking at the USI last year, he said that the IAF would be down to 27 squadrons as early as end 2007.

It is not just the dwindling number of aircraft but also the need to upgrade the existing fleet of MiGs and Jaguars. Not just the combat aircraft require refurbishment but also the ageing transport fleet of IL 76 and AN 32. Never before has there been such a conjugation of demands for new aircraft, midlife upgrade and force multipliers. Besides 126 MRCAs (in addition to 190 Sukhois ordered and partially supplied), 200 Tejas (forget it class) and 40 of the shelf latest Sukhois (tide over Tejas) IAF requires 80 helicopters, another six mid-air refuellers and three Phalcon AWACs. As it is going to be impossible to fund all these in one go, the inductions will have to be staggered but there has to be an approved plan with sanctioned funds. Soon the IAF may not only lose its operational superiority over PAF, but also find it impossible to bridge the growing gap with the PLAAF. These are not glad tidings for air warriors on their raising day.

With the US pumping in $5 billion package of arms to Pakistan, which includes 68 new F 16 and China cementing further its strategic partnership with Pakistan, India will shortly find that the geostrategic advantage it enjoyed in the region has slipped out. The lesson is elementary. A sound economy without a firm foundation in national security is an ungainly risk.

Man talk about much ado for nothing. Why a decision has not been made on which country to purchase the 126 MRCAs is baffling. When Pak was shopping for them, no one except for China was willing to sell.

Today the US has agreed to sell us. India has one extra option, to go Russia's way too. I wonder why they can't buy a little from each, like Pakistan's buying from US and China.

Maybe the fact that we're working with lesser options has made the decision making process so easy. But two years is way too long. Also not to forget the declining squadrons.

 

[Bull]

Man talk about much ado for nothing. Why a decision has not been made on which country to purchase the 126 MRCAs is baffling.

Its not like the online dicsussion we are having.There would be lot of direct and more importantly indirect things that should be thought about.And to add to that the "pull of the arms dealers"

Today the US has agreed to sell us. India has one extra option, to go Russia's way too. I wonder why they can't buy a little from each, like Pakistan's buying from US and China..

Asom dont be stupid.As it is IAF is having a nightmare maintaining such a wide range of Acs,now you are wanting it to make it even more complicated.

Maybe the fact that we're working with lesser options has made the decision making process so easy. But two years is way too long. Also not to forget the declining squadrons.

Definitly yes,if you have no options, then what do discuss??

 

[Contrarian]

The IAF has been saying that the RPF/RFQ will be sent in a short while..this has been the party motto for over a year now!!!

They are just wayy too slow! add to that, that the DefMin has just changed and the recurring scandals in def deals....its gonna take a while indeed


wish desperately they go fo the Typhoon tho!, rocking plane!
nothing quite matches it xcept for JSF or Raptor!