The broader lesson is modern warfare increasingly depends on integration, says Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd)in interview with Javaria Rana Operation Sindoor put India’s air power doctrine to a live test. Fighters, loitering munitions, precision-strike weapons and integrated air defences all delivered results. But broader questions linger. A shrinking fighter squadron strength, delays in indigenousContinue reading “‘The future isn’t manned vs unmanned’”
Tag Archives: indian air force
IAF Chief in France – Likely Contours of the Rafale Deal
Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh was on an important four-day visit to France to advance the mega ₹3.25 lakh crore ($39 billion) deal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets. This visit came immediately after the Indian Defence Ministry issued a formal Letter of Request (LoR) to the French government.Continue reading “IAF Chief in France – Likely Contours of the Rafale Deal”
Calling Pakistan’s S-400 Targeting Bluff
Pakistan‘s claim of destroying India‘s S-400 missile systems kept surfacing sporadically, apparently to satisfy the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) ego and to cover the massive defeat in Op Sindoor, wherein nearly 20 percent of PAF capability was blunted. A Pakistani narrative had to be built because of successful Indian strikes against nine PAF airbases andContinue reading “Calling Pakistan’s S-400 Targeting Bluff”
Wrong to call them Emergency Landing Facility; Highway Landing Strips Are Strategic Assets for IAF’s Agile Combat Employment – NATO Already Implementing
PM Narendra Modi just inaugurated the Highway Landing Strip (HLS) for Indian Air Force’s (IAF) aircraft operations in the East on Moran Highway in Assam. Close to the China border, India has turned one more highway into a runway for all types of aircraft in its inventory. The 4.2-km stretch, wrongly termed as just anContinue reading “Wrong to call them Emergency Landing Facility; Highway Landing Strips Are Strategic Assets for IAF’s Agile Combat Employment – NATO Already Implementing”
India’s Big Endorsement of Russian AD Systems
India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract worth Rs 445 crore ($46 Million) with Russia’s JSC Rosoboronexport for the procurement of Tunguska air defence missile system for the Indian Army on March 27. These cutting-edge missiles will enhance India’s multi-layered air defence capabilities against aerial threats including aircraft drones and cruise missiles. The agreementContinue reading “India’s Big Endorsement of Russian AD Systems “
F15 Eagle the Great Combat Platform But Couldn’t Match the Sales of the Smaller Brother F-16 Fighting Falcons
Nearly 50 years after being introduced, and having seen many upgrades, the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon continue to compete for sales. Latest variants of both have been vying for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) (MRFA) (Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft). Both have very creditably served the home country’s US Air Force (USAF) and have been inContinue reading “F15 Eagle the Great Combat Platform But Couldn’t Match the Sales of the Smaller Brother F-16 Fighting Falcons”
Welcome Home Shubhanshu – Now ISS to Gaganyaan
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla ‘Shux’, the second Indian in space, is back after a record-setting space mission. The four astronauts, Shukla and his crewmates, Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, concluding their trailblazing 18-day Axiom-4 (Ax-4) space mission. AtContinue reading “Welcome Home Shubhanshu – Now ISS to Gaganyaan”
Fifth Generation Aircraft – Way Ahead India
China unveiled two sixth-generation fighter jets on December 26, 2024 in Chengdu, representing their next evolutionary leap based on two decades of R&D. The first, Chengdu J-36 was a large tri-jet tailless double-delta winged aircraft. The second, Shenyang J-50 featured a cranked arrow configuration with sharply swept lambda wings, two ventral intakes with diverterless supersonicContinue reading “Fifth Generation Aircraft – Way Ahead India”
Defence of Air Defence Systems
The US lost nearly $2B worth of military equipment in the first 4 days of operations in Iran. Losses include SATCOM terminals, F-15E Strike Eagles, and radar equipment. The chief driver of the cost is a US AN/FPS-132 early warning radar system at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, valued at $1.1 billion, which wasContinue reading “Defence of Air Defence Systems”
Op Sindoor: IAF Hits Wide and Deep – In Just 90 hours Sets a New Normal
India launched “Operation SINDOOR” in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam to destroy the terroristbackers of the attack. Pakistan attempted a weak response using drones and shelling to hit Indian military and civilian targets, including religious sites. India responded by striking military targets across the length and depth of Pakistan to denudeContinue reading “Op Sindoor: IAF Hits Wide and Deep – In Just 90 hours Sets a New Normal”