Immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision in Paris to buy 36 Rafale medium multi-role combat aircraft in a “fly-away” condition off the shelf, defence minister Manohar Parrikar declared that this would bring “minimum oxygen” to the Indian Air Force that is dangerously short of equipment for its operational necessities. He was not exaggerating a bit. Although a succession of Air Chiefs have been lamenting about the pathetic and deteriorating state of the Air Force inventory, the grave ground reality hasn’t registered even on policy makers, leave alone the people at large.
The number of combat squadrons with the IAF today are fewer than what were considered “minimum necessary” more than half a century ago, after the traumatic defeat in the border war with China in the high Himalayas.
15/04/2015/Inder Malhotra/asianage.
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The number of combat squadrons with the IAF today are fewer than what were considered “minimum necessary” more than half a century ago, after the traumatic defeat in the border war with China in the high Himalayas.
15/04/2015/Inder Malhotra/asianage.
