The next 25 years would witness even greater growth in technology, making it difficult to predict its contours accurately.
India’s aerospace capabilities and technology requirements were the subject of a special address by Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari at Def Tech India 2023 on Tuesday (March 21, 2023) where he highlighted the importance of technology in modern warfare and how it can rapidly evolve over a short period. His address underlined the importance of technology in modern warfare and how India is preparing to become a world leader in aerospace capabilities. He talked about very long range radars and Artificial Intelligence (AI) backed decisions, hypersonic weapons and very long range radars.
For instance, he noted that 25 years ago, India did not have the Agni-1 MRBM, Su-30s, FRA, or AWACS in its inventory, and GPS was new to the world. Today, India boasts of Agni V with a range of over 5000 Km, a fleet of Su-30s, and other force multipliers, including FRA and AWACS.
He stated that by 2047, when India completes 100 years of independence, the country would be looking at a very different India, possibly one of the largest economies in the world and becoming a world leader in many fields.
The Air Chief emphasised that the traditional domains of war fighting along with emerging ones like cyber and information are all manifesting themselves into what is known as hybrid warfare. He also noted that societal and economic considerations of a state usually determine how wars are waged. As such, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is on the path of transformation so that it can fight and win tomorrow’s wars. According to him IAF is in the process of acquiring and operationalising cutting-edge systems in its inventory, upgrading existing equipment, and building indigenous capabilities.
He noted that the IAF is fully committed to the development of the LCA Mk 2 and AMCA, and the induction of C-295 aircraft is a step in the right direction that will boost the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. The IAF has also made significant progress in the domain of unmanned aerial systems, as a result of the Mehar Baba drone competition. Furthermore, the IAF was the first service to sign a contract under the iDEX program for counter-UAS systems.
The chief of IAF concluded by saying that the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has categorically stated that it is now time for the IAF to become an Aerospace Force and be ready to protect the country from ever-evolving threats. With “on-demand launch” becoming the new normal and growing exploitation of it by private and military stakeholders, space has definitely become the Ultimate High Ground. The race to weaponize space has already started, and the day is not far from when it would become a reality.
