Should India go in for a fifth generation aircraft from a foreign country? What should be the IAF’s road map for capability enhancement over the next 15 years? Can India rely on the US in the long run? Following the meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi at the White House on Thursday, the defence and aerospace sector is abuzz with anticipation and excitement.So is the F-35 the right choice?
To talk about the IAF’s needs and what strategy to adopt in coming years, Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale sat down with Air Marshal, Ravi Kapoor (retd), former C-in-C, Central Air Command.
“What the Air Force needs is capability. And, fifth generation capability in a very short time. Okay. Now, F-35 is a proven platform. Now which aircraft India can have this capability? I can say that the F-35. I think primarily the fifth generation is a no brainer right. We need it. In terms of the geostrategic environment that we are in,”\ Kapoor said during the chat. He admitted that the basic concern of some people in India has always been, whether we can completely rely on the United States in terms of how the United States monitors its military sales, and how it imposes restrictions on where India can operate it. Therefore, in case India goes on to buy the F-35, the purchase needs to be made future proof, that is, India must take guarantees that it will not be left high and dry in case the relationship turns sour, Kapoor implied.
The F 35 is a good option, but needs to be checked by an expert group. What kind of end user agreement we have to sign, and also what are the aspects of maintenance and repairs? If we get them by 2032, it will be good for technology absorption, before the AMCA materialises in 2035, he felt.
However, India is yet to take a call on whether it will accept President Trump’s offer. It's early days yet. And the Indian government is likely to weigh all options before deciding either way. Going beyond the immediate headlines however, the challenges plaguing HAL are not new, he pointed out. He was referring to the unavoidable controversy over a private conversation that went public between IAF Chief ACM AP Singh and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) officials at the Aero India show in Bengaluru earlier this week. The Air Chief Singh openly criticised HAL for failing to meet delivery schedules. His remarks, caught on camera, went viral. During the supposedly private dialogue, Singh underscored IAF's mounting frustration with HAL. "You have to alleviate our worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident about HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen," Singh had stated.
Old timers point out that successive Air Force Chiefs have raised similar concerns over HAL’s inefficiency and delays. They say the major issue is HAL’s reluctance to outsource components, unlike global aerospace giants such as Boeing and Dassault, which integrate outsourced parts to streamline production. HAL insists on retaining control over all aspects of fighter jet manufacturing, limiting private sector involvement and stifling competition, they add.
Against this backdrop, Air Marshal Kapoor said, one way to enhance efficiency is for the HAL to undertake risk assessment when such major projects like the LCA are conceived. Risk assessment needs to include delay factors, cost overruns, and a host of other issues. At the end of the day, HAL will need to be more realistic and practical in its estimates.
