Military Air Force

The Indian Air Force (IAF) comprises five regional operational air commands at New Delhi (Western Command), Gandhinagar (South-Western Command), Shillong (Eastern Command), Allahabad (Central Command) and Trivandrum (Southern Command). It also has a Maintenance Command at Nagpur and a Training Command based at Bangalore.

Estimates suggest that the IAF possesses 849 combat capable fixed-wing aircraft. The majority of its fighter and ground attack aircraft are Soviet-era MiG 21s and 29s365 and the Anglo-French Jaguar S International, 40 of which were purchased directly and a further 100 built under licence in India.366 However, the IAF has made modernisation of its fighter aircraft fleet a priority over the last few years and has brought into service the Russian Su-30 Mk1 aircraft, which was designed specifically for the IAF and is built under license in India, and the French Mirage 2000H aircraft. India also has an advanced fighter aircraft requirement for 126 platforms over the next 15 years in order to upgrade its forces, a deal estimated to be worth over US$9-11bn. Despite India’s historical reliance on the Russian fighter aircraft market, the IAF has outlined its intention to consider other fighter aircraft to meet its requirement, including the US F-16 and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the BAE/Saab JAS-39 Gripen and the French Rafale aircraft.

The remainder of the fixed-wing fleet consists of airborne early warning aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft (including some ex-British Canberra aircraft), tanker aircraft and a sizeable transport aircraft fleet (288 aircraft). The IAF also possesses an unmanned aerial vehicle capability and has over 288 training aircraft. In March 2004 the Indian Government and BAE Systems concluded a contract for the delivery of 66 Hawk 132 Advanced Jet Trainers. Under that contract (worth approximately £1.65bn), 24 AJT aircraft are being assembled in the UK, and are expected to be delivered by the end of 2007, while the remaining 42 are to be assembled in India. Six of those aircraft will be in kit form for local assembly, while 36 will be manufactured under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore. Those aircraft are expected to be delivered between 2008 and 2010. As part of this industrial arrangement over 300 HAL employees are expected to undergo technical training at the BAE Systems facility in Brough over a period of two years.The IAF’s rotary capabilities include 60 attack, 153 support and 83 utility helicopters. In order to modernise its helicopter fleet the IAF currently has a requirement for the purchase of 80 medium-lift helicopters.

The weapons complement for the IAF consists of AM-39 Exocet, AS-7, AS-12, AS-17 and AS-30 air-to-surface missiles; AS-11 anti-tank guided weapons and AA-7, AA-8. AA- 10, AA-11, AA-12, R-550 and Super 530D air-to-air missiles. Air defence is also providedby a mixture of MANPAD capabilities, and surface-to-air missiles. The IAF also has a small complement of Prithvi-2 missiles as part of its weapons inventory.

The Indian Government is also considering whether to set up its own manned space programme under a new Aerospace Defence Command. In January 2007 India launched its first recoverable satellite into space. Hitherto, its space programme has been predominantly civilian in character. India opposes the ‘weaponisation of space’. However, there is speculation that China’s space programme, which involved the downing of a military satellite by a ground-launched missile in early 2007, may push India to develop a ‘military dimension’ of its own programme.