India’s Aviation Vision : Aero India 2023
“ Touch the sky with glory “ – has been the motto of the Indian Airforce ever since it’s inception as IAF – coming out of the shackles of RIAF – ie the Royal Indian Air Force when the brave and relatively unknown warriors of the air stopped shedding blood for the crown and dedicated their lives solely to protect their motherland. It has been through the tests and trials various times – namely the 1969 War , the 1975 Indo Pak War , Operation Cactus Lily and last but not the least – operation SafedSagar – where our bravehearts raided the hilly terrains of Kargil dropping bombs on enemy bases – earning them the moniker – “ Vajraayudhs “ – “ the thunder wielders “. Not only in war , the IAF also plays key roles in relief operations , search and rescue and even disaster management – recent examples being “ OperationDost “ – a relief mission undertaken by India to help Turkey and Syria with aids , medical support and even crucial airlifts.
A lot has changed since the inception. What started as a humble fleet of about 100 aircrafts including Dakota Spitfire , Typhoons and British made Brewster Buffalo – stands proudly about 37 squadron strong today – boasting of being the 4th largest airforce in the world – boasting of some of the most sophisticated fightercrafts in the world – Dassault Rafale , JAS -39 Jaguars being some of them.
However , what India gains in number is negated by its dependency on soviet era aircrafts – namely the MIG and the SUKHOI series to name some of them. However , this situation has been in the airforce’s bucket list for a while – as in his inaugural speech for the 2023 aero India show – the PM shared his vision – of how India plans to launch itself as a global aviation hub and superpower – both in military and civil airspace.
A lot has changed since the inception. What started as a humble fleet of about 100 aircrafts including Dakota Spitfire , Typhoons and British made Brewster Buffalo – stands proudly about 37 squadron strong today – boasting of being the 4th largest airforce in the world – boasting of some of the most sophisticated fightercrafts in the world – Dassault Rafale , JAS -39 Jaguars being some of them.
However , what India gains in number is negated by its dependency on soviet era aircrafts – namely the MIG and the SUKHOI series to name some of them. However , this situation has been in the airforce’s bucket list for a while – as in his inaugural speech for the 2023 aero India show – the PM shared his vision – of how India plans to launch itself as a global aviation hub and superpower – both in military and civil airspace.
Civil Aviation
Tata joins hands with Boeing – IndiGo to follow suit
The biggest event in the aviation sector of India in FY 22-23 was the acquisition of Air India and AI Express by the Tata group on a business deal of of 18000 Cr rupees. Aiming to replace the old jetliners – Tata is speculated to sign a deal with Boeing , Lockheed Martin Corp. to supply around 500 aircrafts – in a deal of around 1000 billion dollars in the process – IndiGo is also expected to follow suit – making India a potential hot selling market for global aircraft manufacturers.
Military Sector
India is a significant aerial superpower as of right now – and the aim is to make it compatible with the 5th and 6th gen fighters that countries like US and China use. However – the aim to modernize and upgrade the fleet follows a bifurcated approach:
Collaboration with Foreign Defence Contractors
Lockheed Martin – the official defence contractor of the USAF is eager to work with India – and India has played a smart move of letting HAL collaborate with the aviation giant – thus ending India’s direct dependency on foreign contractors and suppliers – also the opportunity to work with British firm might help us develop our indigenous version of whatever they bring to the table. Rolls Royce Merlin PLC is also in talks – for developing a new engine system for the highly coveted F22 Raptor – the newest addition to India’s arsenal – soon to be operational as a separate unit.
Direct Pitching of India’s Aircrafts in Foreign markets
India is no slouch when it comes to autonomous production and self sufficiency as HAL made LCA ( Light Combat Aircraft ) Tejas and LCH ( Light Combat Helicopter ) Prachand being the pinnacle of India’s technological supremacy. India plans to participate in Defence Expos pitching the products to ally countries namely Israel , Japan and Indonesia.
