As we mark 76 years of India’s independence, through this special issue, we at SP’s, have tried to infuse a sentiment of the Independence Day celebrations of our Motherland. The journey encompasses 76 years so far, and the achievements at various levels have been remarkably magnificent. Today any country/any entity around the globe is not only looking at our country but is excitedly willing to work with us as much as possible. Of course, as we cannot be complacent in-spite of our past, which has indeed been glorious enough, we must continue working towards a far better and far stronger future of our Motherland.

We take a look at the Indian Air Force’s glorious past and also analyse its challenging future in an article by Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd). The IAF has come a long way, and today is the fourth-largest air force with global reach, long-range precision strike capability, and the ability to exercise dominance over the region. Underlining IAF’s role in protecting, peacekeeping & collaboration, we look back at IAF’s early years, some major wars, its current position and the people who led it.

Over the past 76 years, India’s aviation sector has played a pivotal role in nation building by facilitating economic growth through efficient air transportation and defence capabilities. Air Marshal Sukhchain Singh (Retd) takes a look at the role the aviation sector has played over the last 76 years. He talks about policy reforms, economic activity, and upskilling India within the aviation sector, a domain that is now accepted as a fundamental pillar of Indian society, essential for social progress & economic prosperity.

Colonel Sanjay Julka (Retd) also talks about the potential of Indian aviation while we witness the renaissance of India’s aviation industry as it takes flight towards a century of prosperity, unlocking extraordinary opportunities on the way, in India’s aviation sector. As detailed in the article, global players are making a beeline to partner with domestic companies in India’s aviation sector to seize unprecedented opportunities.

India is emerging emerge as the world’s third-largest aviation market by 2030 or earlier and Group Captain Joseph Noronha (Retd) highlights the role of private industry in taking the aviation sector by storm. He mentions how private airlines has changed the face of flying in the country and if the private sector is given enough impetus to participate, even defence and aerospace manufacturing could well replicate this feat within the next 20 years.

A key pillar of India’s self-reliance has been ISRO. The constant exploits of ISRO have ensured that India is always considered a serious global player in space programmes. A story by Ayushee Chaudhary highlights how ISRO’s achievements have consistently kept India amongst the elite group of space powers globally amidst doubts, questions, and concerns of a nation barely standing on its feet at the time post-independence.

In the Last Word, Rohit Goel importantly underlines the need to foster a robust domestic Aerospace and Defence manufacturing ecosystem through investment in Research & Development for India’s strategic independence. Although the Indian government has embarked on a series of strategic measures towards this objective, a lot more needs to be done post haste!

All this and more in this issue of SP’s Aviation.

Welcome aboard and we wish a very Happy Independence Day to all our readers as we now march towards 100 years of Independence of India!