The standoff across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh between the ground forces of India and China led to an armed conflict that resulted in loss of lives on both sides. The Indian Air Force (IAF) as well as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of China, were also placed on high alert and resorted to redeployment of their military aerial platforms and associated ground-based elements to not only protect and support the ground forces during the faceoff but also to cater for any major conflict or an all out war should there be one. This issue of SP’s Aviation carries a detailed analysis by Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) on the capability of the IAF to take on the much larger PLAAF should there be an escalation of conflict.

The possibility of a large scale conflict between the armed forces of India and China is indeed a matter of concern for the nation that is further aggravated by the way the Chinese air power has been growing over the years. While China is enhancing its capability in all the segments of air power through modern technology and is effectively supported by its indigenous aerospace industry, it has also developed a number of airbases in the Tibet Autonomous Region for its combat aircraft to undertake missions to strike targets in India both along the LAC as also in depth. A comprehensive article on the growth of Chinese air power by Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd) has been included in this issue of the magazine.

Apart from the growth in air power, China has also made a mark on the global scene in the domain of space exploration. A Chinese spacecraft, the Tianwen-1, touched down successfully on the surface of Mars on May 15, 2021, marking a historic accomplishment in China’s space endeavours and making it the second country in the world to achieve this feat. This issue of the magazine carries an in depth writer up by Ayushee Chaudhary on the successes China has registered in its endeavours in space exploration especially in the recent past.

The development of military transport aircraft over the years has undergone numerous changes. Thus, today these platforms play either strategic or tactical role or both roles, but with some limitations. In peacetime, apart from routine tasks for the military, the transport fleet is employed for civilian tasks as well. In this issue, there is a comprehensive report by Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) on the Top Military transport aircraft and the role they can play along with their basic specifications.

In the year 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic had a devastating impact on the civil aviation industry in Europe. Fortunately, there has been a distinct revival in business aviation flights ushering in a ray of hope for the business aviation segment of the industry to seize an opportunity to upscale further and proceed towards full recovery. Ayushee Chaudhary has a comprehensive analysis of the situation in the business aviation segment of the civil aviation industry in Europe as well as prospects for it in the future.

In another article on the global airline industry, Ayushee Chaudhary catalogues the travails that the industry has had to go through on account of the Pandemic and charts the way ahead for the industry for its recovery.

All this and more in this issue of SP’s Aviation. Welcome aboard and we wish you many happy landings!

Jai Hind!