Indian Air Force to lose Air superiority to Pakistan
My My My what do we have here.
Indians are worried at the pathetic state of its Armed Forces and the flawed policy of buying weapons from so many numerous sources that maintaining such a wide variety of equipement is very expensive and mistakes are bound to happen such as the Flying Coffins and Arjun Tank Disaster.
So India is worried at Pakistan Jf-17 Fighters and F-16 from USA....
The entire Geo-political structure of South Asia could change
www.ibnlive.com/news/special-iaf-may-lose-out-to-pak/22834-3-0.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 Marshall 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 Marshall 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.
Says Additional Director, Air Power Studies, Kapil Kak, "This aircraft induction will take at least 10 years from today and in those 10 years, the MiG 21's will progress if they get wound down. Their total technical life and design life will end and we will have the Air Force combat force strength winding down, worringly fast."
The Indian Air Force has always enjoyed an edge in numbers over its adversary - the Pakistan Air Force - and thus the downward spiral has been a cause for concern for sometime.
The Standing Committee on Defence raised the same objections, but this time the concern comes from the Air Chief - whether it's the much hyped Light Combat Aircraft, or the Request for Proposals for 126 Multi Role Medium Range Combat Aircraft, several of these inductions are very delayed.
It's these very concerns that the Air Chief wants the Defence Minister to address.
In his letter, the Air Chief Marshall has also requested the RM to spearhead the following:
* Direct acquisition of 40 additional Su-30 MKIs from Russia on fast track.
* Request for Proposal for 126 Multi Role Medium Range Combat Aircraft be issued at the earliest.
* And last urge the Russian govt maintain their commitment of not permitting China to sell aircraft with Russian engines to Pakistan.
As the Air Force gets ready to celebrate its 74th anniversary, its dominace of the Subcontinent's airspace and the crucial roles its played in every Indo-Pak conflict is under threat.
It is for the Government now to make sure that IAF remains the superior air power it has always been.
