In a bid to bolster its combat capabilities through indigenisation, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Sunday said the Indian Air Force is looking to induct Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and Light Combat Aircraft MK-1A and MK-2 along with the 114 multirole fighters under ‘Make-in-India’ in the future.
The IAF chief said that the move will not only “strengthen the Air Force” but also bring a “huge boost” to the Indian Aviation industry as part of the Aatmanirbhar initiative of the Narendra Modi government.
“On the aircraft front, we are looking ahead for the AMCA and the LCA MK-1A and also the LCA MK-2 a few years from now. The case for 114 MRFA is also progressing well. With this, it will not only strengthen the Air Force but also bring a huge boost to the Indian Aviation industry,” the Air Chief Marshal told.
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“We have already committed for seven squadrons of AMCA. The numbers for the LCA MK-2, we will take a call as and when the first production model comes out and we start inducting the aircraft into the airforce and we can always increase the quantity based on its performance and rate of induction,” he added while speaking about the number of units of the aircraft that the Air Force is planning to induct.
Fully backing the indigenous fighter aircraft programmes, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Monday said the Indian Air Force has already given the commitment to buy six squadrons of the under development LCA Mark2 combat aircraft and would place more orders for these planes once their production begins.
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“Indian Air Force has already given commitment for the induction of six squadrons of Light Combat Aircraft Mark 2 fighter jets. We will decide on additional numbers once the production of these aircraft starts,” Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari told .
The IAF has already placed orders for four squadrons of the LCA Mark 1A and has committed towards inducting at least seven squadrons of the fifth generation Indian fighter Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) which is also progressing very fast.
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The LCA Mark 2 fighter is intended to be the replacement for the Mirage 2000 and Jaguar fighters when they are due for phasing out after a decade.
When asked about the timeline of the induction of the S-400 air defence system from Russia into the forces, he said that it will be done as per the schedule adding that all deliveries should be completed by the end of next year.
“The induction program of S-400 is going as per the schedule. The first firing unit has been inducted and deployed. The second unit is also in the process of getting inducted. Delivery schedules are on time, hopeful that by the end of next year all deliveries will be completed,” said the Air Chief Marshal.
“The threat of multiple fronts always exists. The capabilities of the Air Force in handling two fronts at a time will necessarily have to keep getting bolstered by the induction of various platforms. On the ground, we will need more radars, and additional SAGW systems and all of these are going to come from indigenous sources, for which the action is already at hand,” he added while speaking about the IAF preparedness to deal with the threats on the borders.
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The IAF chief further said that the forces are fully in sync with the Centre’s Aatma Nirbhar Bharat push which has resulted in the “quick induction” of platforms such as the light-combat helicopter and aircraft, and radar systems.
“We are fully in sync with the government’s push for Aatma Nirbharta (self-reliance) and Make In India. In the DPSUs, we have had project management teams, which have been synchronising our efforts along with those of the industry. The result of this has been the quick induction of platforms such as the light-combat helicopter and aircraft, and radar systems,” he said.
“These all have been quickly inducted because of our PMTs which are embedded with the DPSUs. Now we are making an all-out effort to reach out to the private industry and also to the MSMEs. We have a lot of plans to involve the MSMEs in our future growth,” the IAF chief added.
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari also exuded confidence in the Indian industry and said that “it may take a little longer but they will definitely deliver”.
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