Aerospace power is bound to proliferate and permeate the national security apparatus including homeland security. The IAF must seek greater specialisation; tailored capabilities, an increased dependence on unmanned vehicles and greater accent on force enhancers

In the light of an expanding strategic footprint of a resurgent India and the need therefore to safeguard its national interests, the IAF must have a credible and demonstrable capability to operate effectively and decisively. The profound influence that aerospace power has because of its inherent speed, flexibility, reach, stealth, precision and ubiquity makes it a natural instrument of choice for the national leadership to address conventional and sub-conventional conflict situations as well as force projection. The IAF therefore, needs to be structured, equipped and trained to do this and more. Given India’s concerns and aspirations, a strong and comprehensive aerospace capability is inescapable. The IAF’s modernisation plan must therefore aim at sustaining and enhancing its operational potential and consolidate the specified force levels through judicious and cost-effective acquisitions, replacements and upgradation of existing resources. It must be gradual but transformational modernisation.

If we look at the way the IAF must evolve and compare it to the path charted by advanced air forces around the world, there are essential similarities. Since aerospace power’s capabilities, effectiveness and indeed its utility are premised on technology, which in turn is driven by operational needs—all air forces would envision evolving on similar lines. In fact, but for minor variations, the IAF is on a globally recognised growth path. Therefore, depending upon the circumstances, threat perceptions and resources, it is the scope and pace of growth of the IAF that essentially remains to be determined. Clearly, the IAF must be equipped for long-reach, persistence, precision-targeting, air dominance, networked and space-enabled capabilities. This requires hardware, organisation and people. The hardware must be well chosen and procured in time; the organisation must be adaptive; and the people must be competent, motivated and welltrained. What flows from this must be an action plan, but what is most important is to action the plan.

Much will also depend upon the way aerospace power develops in the future. We need to think beyond 2060, beyond the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) and fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) with a life span of 40 years. It is not easy to guess the shape and complexity of aerospace power—would the accent shift to unmanned flight, to missiles or would ‘air’ be more of ‘space’? Despite the unpredictability, it is certain that the need for application and transportability of national power through aerospace power would remain. Nations that lack it will seek it. Aerospace power is bound to proliferate and permeate the national security apparatus more completely, including homeland security. The IAF must seek greater specialisation; tailored capabilities, an increased dependence on unmanned vehicles and greater accent on force enhancers.