The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is striving to achieve a complete inventory by 2047 under the indigenization program.

He also insisted that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd must produce 24 Tejas light combat jets annually as agreed in order to compensate for the delays in supplies.

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is an Indian Public aerospace center and a defense company based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The company is specialized in manufacturing and supplying a wide range of aircraft, helicopters, avionics, communication equipment to both military and civil markets. It is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world.

A Need to Enhance Indias Infrastructure

Ahead of the Air Force Day, held on Tuesday, October 8^th, 2024, the Chief of Air Staff also emphasized the need for India to enhance its technological capabilities and production speed as China. We are way behind neighbors, he noted.

Chief AP Singh said that India is ahead in terms of personnel including those operating various machines and platforms.

While pointing on the Eastern Ladakh standoff between India and China, he said that the condition remains stable over the past year. However, he expressed his concern over the rapid infrastructure development by China.

“We are trying to match up with it. We are upgrading our airfields. There are new airfields coming up,” he said.

About Ladakh Standoff Between India and China

Notably, the Ladakh standoff refers to a military faceoff between India and China. It began in May 2020 along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Eastern Ladakh region.

Background

Ladakh is a region in the Northern India which shared its border with China. Over the years, both countries engaged in disputes. However, in 2020, the tensions escalated. The initial standoff began with minor conflicts at Pangong Tso Lake and later escalated to other areas like the Galwan Valley and hot springs.

After the initial clashes, both Beijing and New Delhi held several rounds of talks to defuse the situation. While they both have agreed to some disengagement, tensions still run high and each nation has maintained a heavy military presence in the area.

Galwan Valley Clash

On June 15, 2020, a violent clash in the Galwan valley claimed 20 Indian soldiers and a number of Chinese troops. This was the first deadly encounter between the two nations after 45 years.

Current Scenario of the Standoff

The stand-off has impacted the diplomatic ties between India and China, prompting closer inspection, with security apprehensions growing in the region.

Produce Weapons Domestically

Singh outlined the need of independence in defense manufacturing for the future security threats. He also focused on the importance of weapon production within the country, especially during the war time.

It is a problem for which you cannot have them procured from outside, he said.

The IAF Chief also spoke of supply chain issues being compounded by ongoing wars, one being the Russian-Ukrainian War, which makes it hard to maintain equipment that has foreign parts.

About the Tejas program

He emphasized the fact that HAL has to come through with building 24 aircraft per year to minimize the set back. The IAF has sanctioned the procurement of 83 Tejas Mark-1A, though the contract underlined that the deliveries to have commenced in March this year. However, no aircraft has yet been delivered.

Singh announced that India has three units of the S-400 missile systems that have been received from Russia, and the remaining two will arrive next year.