NEW DELHI: There is a virtual revolt in the Indian Air Force over Prime Minister Narendra Modi shooting down its requirement of Rafale fighters from the previous United Progressive Alliance government’s $20-billion deal for 126 to just 36 without any consultations to know its exact operational requirement.
The Indian Air Force brass is further upset with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar not only justifying it but also going on record to say that 126 fighter planes were not only “economically unviable” but also “not required.”
Wondering whom Parrikar had consulted to know about the requirement of just 36 fighters, the IAF brass on Tuesday sent in a blueprint of its needs to reconsider the decision announced by Modi during his France trip.
Their plea is not to cripple the force already facing a crisis in its modernisation plans since just 36 fighters were too little to plug the capability gap that is already widening because of the retirement of older aircraft. They say Parrikar’s claim to fill the gap with indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) is ridiculous since they cannot meet the requirement of the medium multi-role combat aircraft the force needs desperately.
Sources in IAF said the force had projected an immediate requirement of 126 Rafale-type medium multi-role combat aircraft, though it would be actually needing 400 jets over the next 10 years. Just 36 Rafale jets would not be able to meet the shortfall to be caused by phasing out all MiG-21s and MiG27s by 2022.
The IAF has 34 fighter jet squadrons having 16 to 18 planes each against the projected requirement of a minimum of 42 squadrons in the eventuality of a simultaneous war with China and Pakistan. The fleet of 640 fighter jets available with the IAF mostly have old technology and many of them are nearing their lifespan and cannot be carried on for ever.
The top brass, therefore, decided to tell Parrikar that the government cannot compromise on the requirement already vetted and cleared by all authorities over the past many years to have a 42-squadron strong fleet. According to them replacement of 260 obsolete MiG-21s and MiG-27s, the single-engine jets of the Soviet Union era, cannot be delayed.
Former IAF chief Fali Homi Major, during whose tenure the initial tender was floated for the combat aircraft in 2007, said 36 fighter jets were too few considering the requirements. “If we are looking at creating 42 squadrons of fighters for the Air Force as planned, just two squadrons of 36 aircraft would be too little by itself,” he said calling for placement of order for a larger number.
Only last October, present IAF chief Air Marshall Arup Raha had called for quick induction of both medium multi-role and light combat aircraft, saying “we are left with quite a few with a majority of our fleet being in a phase-out meet.” He reiterated the demand at the Aero-India show in February, stressing: “We urgently need planes…may not necessarily be Rafales.”
Former IAF Vice-Chief Air Marshal (retd) P K Barbora put a question mark on the defence minister banking on the indigenous light combat aircraft to fill the gap, pointing out that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) cannot be depended to even quickly produce enough Tejas to meet the need of retiring the old aircraft.
