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 India’s air defense capabilities are at a turning point. With dwindling squadron strength, there has been a long-standing debate about whether India should continue to rely on foreign fighter jet procurement or shift focus toward indigenous manufacturing. A recent high-level committee report has recommended increased private sector participation in combat aircraft production, signaling a game-changing moment for India’s defense industry. The Current State of the Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) currently operates below its sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons. With aging aircraft such as the MiG-21 being gradually phased out, concerns about operational preparedness have intensified. Traditionally, India has relied on foreign fighter jets like the Rafale, Mirage 2000, and Su-30MKI to maintain air superiority. However, given the high costs and dependency on foreign suppliers, a shift toward indigenous solutions is now more critical than ever. Indigenous Fighters: The Futu...

Chengdu J-20 ( Image credits- Xinhua) Source- The Diplomat Author- Benjamin David Baker Tensions are rising high throughout the Asia-Pacific. From the Indo-Pakistani border, through Australia’s controversial border policies to China’s disputes with its neighbors in the South and East China Seas, Asian states have been increasing investments in their military capabilities. In all these cases, having forceful and credible aerial assets is a crucial part of deterrence. This is reflected in regional defense spending. Meanwhile, the world is facing a generational shift in military aircraft. Since the final decade of the Cold War, the skies have been dominated by so-called “fourth-generation” combat aircraft: supersonic jets with increasingly sophisticated electronic capabilities, equipped with weaponry able to engage the enemy over several kilometers distance. These still make up the backbone of basically every modern air force around the world. However, several st...

INS Arihant ( Pic Courtesy-Wikimedia Commons and DRDO) India as far as the development of weapons are concerned is still at a nascent stage. Now when you compare the development of high end weapon system, naturally the comparison falls between India and China. But in all the articles that is circulated in the net that one reads, when ever these comparisons take place, India is castigated for the shoddy development cycle of weapon platforms while it is always stated that China is miles ahead of us. To a certain extent, it may be true. But are we so bad is the real question?  On a closer look, India has been in recent years making strides in the development of world class  LCA Tejas ( Pic courtesy- Wikimedia Commons and Author) weapons platforms. India has a robust missile development program that has seen the development of a whole family of new generation missiles. The same is the case with other platforms including the LCA "Tejas", ships like the Shivalik cla...

Image Courtesy- Wikimedia Commons Despite being involved in the fifth-generation fighter aircraft ( FGFA ) joint program with Russia, India is developing a next-generation fighter of its own–the advanced multirole combat aircraft ( AMCA ). The Indian defense ministry’s Defense Research and Development Organization ( DRDO ) showed a large-scale model of the  AMCA  at Aero India 2013 in February, in Bengaluru. The aerodynamic shape has been considerably refined in comparison to an earlier model exhibited at Aero India 2011, and even more so when compared to a model for wind-tunnel testing shown at Aero India 2009, at which time it was “ MCA ” without being “Advanced.” This provides evidence that  AMCA  is being developed in parallel with  FGFA .  DRDO ’s Aeronautical Development Establishment is leading the  AMCA  program. Addressing the next-generation fighter issue, Air Marshall Norman Anil Kumar Browne, the Indian air force chief of sta...

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