The IAF’s 88th Year
As the Indian Air Force marks the 88th year of its existence, Sankalan Chattopadhyay looks at its
As the Indian Air Force marks the 88th year of its existence, Sankalan Chattopadhyay writes on its Past, Present and Future. He looks at the present fighter fleet and then ahead to 2035, by which time the present legacy fleet would have been phased out. With the ominous spectre of a two-front situation staring at India, the Government must move ahead to meet the sanctioned strength of 42 combat squadrons for the IAF.
The Indian Air Force was established on 8 October in 1932 in Colonial India as an auxiliary of the Royal Air Force in India. However, a handful of Indian pilots had flown with the Royal Air Force (Royal Flying Corps) 15 years earlier. Hardit Singh Malik was the first Indian pilot in the RFC, who scored six victories against German fighters during World War I followed by SC Welinkar, Errol Sen, Indra Lal Roy, the latter claiming ten aerial victories and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).
Upon its establishment, the Indian Air Force adopted Royal Air Force uniforms, badges, brevets and insignia and on 1 April 1933, commissioned its first squadron, with four Westland Wapiti II biplanes and five Indian pilots. These were Harish Chandra Sircar, Subroto Mukerjee, Bhupendra Singh, Aizad Baksh Awan and Amarjeet Singh. The sixth officer, JN Tandon had to revert to logistics duties as he was too short!
In 1937, the infant air force saw its first combat experience when ‘A’ Flight was sent to Miranshah in North Waziristan, to support Indian Army operations against Bhittani tribesmen. There was some expansion in April 1936 with a ‘B’ Flight formed, also on the vintage Wapiti biplane. It was not until June 1938 that a ‘C’ Flight was raised which brought No.1 Squadron to full strength, and remained the sole IAF formation when World War II begun by which time the personnel strength had increased to 16 officers and 662 men.
During World War II, the air force was expanded, going through a phase of steady growth. New aircraft were added, beginning with Lysanders, then the more warlike Vultee Vengeance, Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire and by end of the war in 1945, the IAF had nine squadrons, all of which had taken part in the war against Japan.
In recognition of their services, King George VI conferred the prefix ‘Royal’ on the IAF and one of its Spitfire squadrons was sent to Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces.
On independence, and partition of the country, the RIAF was reduced to six squadrons of Tempest II fighters plus some Spitfire XIVs and a handful of C-47 Dakota transports. These were flung into action when Pakistan invaded the then princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, with the operations lasting from October 1947 till December 1948.
The RIAF entered the jet era on 4 November 1948, when three Vampire F.Mk.3 jet fighters arrived in India, to be followed by the Vampire FB Mk.52 which gained the RIAF distinction of becoming the first Asian air arm to operate jets. Transformation of the RIAF in the jet era was consolidated under AVM Subroto Mukherjee, who on 1 April 1954 became an Air Marshal and the first Indian Chief of the Air Staff.
After India became a Republic in 1950, the air force dropped the ‘Royal’ prefix. In the early to mid-1950s, the IAF underwent massive transformation and expansion inducting large numbers of HAL- built Vampire FB Mk.52s, then French-origin Ouragans and Mysteres IVAs, followed by British-origin Hunter F.56s, Canberra bombers and strategic reconnaissance aircraft and soon after, the Gnat light fighter which was built in quantity by HAL.
The only heavy bomber type the IAF operated were the refurbished (by HAL) B- 24J Liberators which served the IAF
till 1967. The English Electric Canberra interdictor bomber served with the IAF for a half century, from 1957 to 2007 and took major part both in the 1965 and 1971 wars.
The war of 1965 changed everything! Soon after this, the Soviet-origin MiG21 became mainstay of the fighter force, while another Soviet-origin aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-7 was inducted for the ground attack role. During the December 1971 war, India’s first indigenously-developed fighter bomber, the HF-24 Marut took part but, however, to the dismay of many, this elegant fighter remained under powered and consequently had a short service life.
Undoubtedly, the most rapid transformation of the IAF took place during the 1980s. The procurement of F- 16s by Pakistan had accelerated this change and consequently the IAF began to procure fighters from the USSR, France and UK almost simultaneously. According to data available, during this period, the IAF procured some 140 Jaguars (mostly built by HAL) plus 50 Mirage-2000s, 70 MiG-29s, 10 MiG-25s, 160 MiG-23s and 165 MiG27s, the latter being built in India under license. From the late 1990s the IAF began to receive large numbers of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, again mostly built in India by
HAL while the last version of the MiG-21 was upgraded to become the MiG-21bison.
The MiG-21 has undoubtedly been the longest serving fighter aircraft in the IAF, with several variants including the MiG21f-13 which entered service in 1963, later augmented by the PF, MF, M and bis. Over the last three decades, the IAF has looked for a suitable replacement for the MiG-21 even as the entire fleet of MiG-23s, MiG-25s and MiG-27s were phased out. with continuous delays faced in the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) development programme, the IAF instituted a requirement for some 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft
( MMRCA) but after over a decade of evaluation and final selection, continued contractual delays resulted in just 36 Rafales being ordered, with none to be produced in country.
The Rafales have just entered service but the requirement for larger numbers remains unfulfilled. Earlier, dissatisfaction with the Russian 5th generation fighter (PAK FA, now the Su-57) programme made India withdraw. However, the procurement and subsequent manufacture of a total of 272 Sukhoi Su-30MKIs has helped to stem the depleting force levels.
The IAF’s present fighter fleet consists of a dwindling number of MiG-21bisons which are scheduled to be retired by 2025, 50 upgraded Mirage 2000s, 70 upgraded MiG-29s while some 80 Jaguars are being upgraded to DARIN III standard.
The Tejas Light Combat Aircraft programme is moving slowly with 40 Mk.Is ordered but its follow on Mk.IA programme is again reportedly facing delays. After a considerable period of design, development and certification, some 40 LCA Mk. Is have been ordered on HAL, half of them in service at AFS Sulur and although IAF pilots are full of praise for this 4th generation light fighter, limited numbers make their contribution uncertain.
However, there is much hope that the LCA Mk.1A followed by the Mk.II and then the fifth generation AMCA will augment numbers in the decade ahead. According to public sources, the combat aircraft strength of the Indian Air Force by 2035 is expected to reach 680 aircraft, by which time, the IAF’s present legacy fleet of MiG-21bisons, MiG-29s, Mirage 2000s and Jaguars would have been phased out. So in 2035, there would be some 272 Su-30MKIs, 36 Dassault Rafale F3-Rs, 114 MRFAs, 40 LCA Mk.Is, 83 LCA Mk. 1As, 96 LCA Mk.IIs and 36 AMCAs.
However, this is just not enough as the IAF may have to face a two front situation. By 2035, when the PAF too would have retired all its Mirage IIIs, Mirage 5s, F-7s and earlier model F-16s, which will have been replaced by the JF- 17 Thunder, successive Blocks now being received in steady numbers. By the end of the 2020s, there would be some 200 JF-17s in service plus some 40 remaining F-16s. The PAF is certainly planning to induct next generation fighters and China is the obvious source which already has the 5th generation J-20 getting into service alongside the J-31 apart from developing stealth bombers. With possible induction of some fifth generation platforms, the PAF will possess significant capability to take on the IAF even while we face an uncertain and devious China.
It is therefore high time, that the Government of India went ahead to meet the IAF’s sanctioned strength of 42 combat squadrons and even if 5th
generation fighters are still sometime away, it is more than feasible to have a fleet of advanced fourth generation multirole fighters to face possible future challenges. Many still believe that the IAF should go in for more LCA Mk.IAs and LCA Mk.IIs to meet its requirements without economic strain but there will still remain the matter of numbers. As for the next generation, there are reports that along with the planned development by ADA of a naval twin-engined deck-based fighter (TEDBF), a twin engined land variant could be developed for the air force, being termed as the omni role combat aircraft (ORCA).
However, whatever decision the Government takes, induction of new fighters for the IAF is imperative! The fourth largest air force in the world must not only maintain air dominance but need to prepare for multi domain multi theatre combat. The People of India deserve a technologically advanced air force by 2035, so as to continue to Touch the Sky with Glory.