EXCLUSIVE | ‘Imports cannot be the long-term foundation of India’s air power’: Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh

Q/ Taking the dynamic changes in south Asia into account, how has the IAF’s war-fighting doctrine changed?

A/ The security environment around us has become significantly more complex. The Indian Air Force is preparing for a wide spectrum of contingencies, from limited, high-intensity engagements to larger and more prolonged conflicts. Our operational philosophy has evolved accordingly. We aim to be more agile, distributed, networked and effects-oriented.

The most significant change is that we can no longer think only in terms of platform-versus-platform warfare. The future contest will be between integrated combat systems. Sensors, shooters, electronic warfare, cyber capabilities, space assets, unmanned platforms and command networks will all combine to achieve the desired effect. Our doctrine and force design reflect this reality.

Q/ To buy or to make? Is it a better idea to buy foreign aircraft or to wait for the home-made Tejas?

A/ I do not think the issue should be framed as a simple choice between buying and making. The first responsibility of the Air Force is to ensure that the country has the military capability available, when it requires it. The IAF follows a capability-driven approach to inductions, based on threat assessment, operational gaps and long-term strategic needs. If a critical operational gap cannot be filled within the necessary timeframe through an indigenous programme, we must have the flexibility to acquire the required capability.

But imports cannot be the long-term foundation of India’s air power. Combat aircraft remain in service for thirty to forty years. Over that period they require weapons integration, software upgrades, electronic warfare modifications, spares and repeated capability enhancements. If we lack sufficient control over the design, technology and supply chain, we surrender a degree of strategic freedom. That is why indigenous programmes are important. These include the LCA family, future indigenous combat aircraft and indigenous weapons, sensors and electronic warfare systems. Our approach, therefore, is pragmatic and follows a combined strategy.

The IAF is committed to the Tejas programme and awaits the induction of the LCA Mk1A. We are also involved in the design and development of the Tejas Mk2 and the AMCA.

To bridge the capability gap, we are pursuing the acquisition of a highly capable 4.5-generation MRFA. We are also pursuing investment in suitable sixth-generation projects with strategic partners.

The long-term focus remains firmly on self-reliance, especially in critical technology areas. In the interim, a calibrated approach will ensure robust capability development and credible deterrence. Our answer to ‘buy or make’ is clear: we will make India’s air power self-reliant for the future, without ever allowing a gap in the nation’s defence.

Q/ What is your take on the IAF role during Operation Sindoor?

A/ As the primary stakeholder in the operation, the IAF demonstrated the decisive impact of air power on military outcomes. The operation showed that the IAF could generate precise and calibrated effects at considerable ranges, while simultaneously protecting our own airspace and retaining operational freedom of action.

One of the most important aspects of Operation Sindoor was the ability to engage selected targets with precision. Modern air power is not about the quantity of ordnance delivered. It is about creating the required effect, against the right target, at the right time, with the appropriate weapon. Equally important was our commitment to zero collateral damage from our action, and we achieved it.

Our indigenously developed weapons performed exceptionally, delivering precise and crippling blows deep into enemy territory. With calibrated targeting across the entire front, spanning 1,200km in breadth and 200km in depth, we made it clear that no place is beyond the IAF’s reach.

Combat aircraft, long-range precision weapons, intelligence and surveillance assets and networked command and control worked in combination. This enabled us to create effects without having to expose every platform to the adversary’s defensive systems.

Our home-grown, networked air defence performed to our expectations and beyond. Pakistan launched a large number of drones and stand-off weapons against us.The IAF’s surface-to-air missile and counter-UAS (unmanned aircraft system) units, ably supported by the Indian Army’s air defence units, operated effectively under the control of the IAF’s IACCS (integrated air command and control system) nodes. Our robust air defence infrastructure safeguarded our critical assets, and the adversary’s attack failed against that shield.

The IAF’s long-range surface-to-air missiles achieved some of the longest recorded kills in the history of aerial warfare. This seriously curtailed the adversary’s freedom of action, even within its own territory. We owned their skies, and that gave us a decisive edge.

Operation Sindoor also reinforced the importance of jointness. The desired effect was created through the coordinated application of capabilities across the defence forces, rather than through individual service actions in isolation.

The lessons of Operation Sindoor are already shaping how we train, equip and prepare.

Q/ What is the biggest challenge for the IAF now?

A/ The biggest challenge is to remain operationally ready for today’s contingencies while simultaneously transforming itself for tomorrow’s wars. Neither can wait for the other. The adversary will not pause while we modernise, and technology will not pause while we fight. Managing both at once defines our task, and we are addressing it on four fronts.

First, maintaining readiness. Combat numbers are certainly one part of this challenge. We require adequate numbers of platforms to meet our operational commitments, and the timely induction of new aircraft remains extremely important. This is why the scaling-up of indigenous production matters so much.

Second, accelerating technological adaptation. We have to make our acquisition and development processes much more responsive, and ensure that our platforms can be upgraded continuously, in weapons, sensors, software and electronic warfare.

Third, building indigenous capability. Imports cannot be the long-term foundation of India’s air power. Atmanirbharta is therefore an operational requirement as much as an industrial objective.

Fourth, building indigenous capacity through partnership. The IAF will work very closely with DRDO, DPSUs, private industry, start-ups and academia, while being very clear about operational requirements, quality and timelines.

The AMCA programme execution model, approved in May 2025, gives public and private sector companies an equal opportunity to compete. In September this year, the IAF held its first Dronathon at Pokhran. Over 20 defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs and innovators demonstrated their capabilities in unmanned and counter-unmanned systems.

Q/ What is the roadmap to make the IAF an aerospace force?

A/ The IAF is driving a comprehensive modernisation strategy focused on technological sovereignty, operational superiority and rapid capability enhancement.

The IAF has formulated a Capability Perspective Plan-2047, which sets out long-term priorities based on emerging technologies. It feeds into our intervening long-term plans, which run on ten-year cycles with periodic updates.

Our priorities for enhancing combat potential begin with contemporary fighter platforms and long-range aerial weapons, both air-to-air and air-to-ground, with stand-off ranges and high precision. Combat enablers are equally important, especially airborne early warning and control aircraft and in-flight refuellers. So are unmanned systems capable of operating in a contested environment, and multi-layered ground-based air defence backed by gap-free surveillance.

In the space domain, our broader direction is reflected in the IAF Space Vision 2047. Our space roadmap involves closer integration of space services with air command and control, and stronger indigenous surveillance, connectivity and supporting technologies.

Significant progress has already been made on the ground: in surveillance radars, surface-to-air guided weapons, utility and combat helicopters, light combat aircraft and unmanned platforms. A majority of these projects are being sourced indigenously. Where critical technologies are not available, or where certain platforms or equipment are unlikely to become available in the foreseeable future, we explore appropriate global options.

Antariksha Abhyas, conducted by the IAF with the Defence Space Agency over several editions, has brought the IAF and national space organisations together. Those editions have examined our dependence on space and the consequences of its denial. The iDEX, ‘Make’ and ADITI challenges give industry and start-ups a route to address service requirements.

As these technologies mature, commanders will be able to employ air and space capabilities together, reliably and as a matter of routine. That is the aerospace force we are building: sovereign in technology, seamless in integration, and ready for the challenges of 2047 and beyond.

Q/ The IAF has a multi-origin fleet and systems of Russian ad western origin. How big a challenge is to integrate all these assets?

A/ A multi-origin fleet brings differences in technologies, architectures, interfaces, maintenance philosophies, data standards and logistics chains. The real challenge is therefore not merely operating different platforms, but making them function as one integrated combat system.

The Indian Air Force has come a long way in meeting that challenge. Decades of experience in operating Russian and Western fleets have enabled complex modifications and the integration of weapons, systems and avionics on our platforms of choice. Building on that experience, the IAF can now absorb and integrate indigenous weapons, avionics, sensors and data links on select platforms. Every new system is customised to suit Indian operational conditions. Our approach to integration works on three levels.

First, the IAF has achieved cross-integration of systems and weapons over the years, largely through in-house effort.

Second, networks. The IAF is working towards network-centric operations by integrating combat platforms, enablers and weapon systems across fleets of different origin. Russian and Western radar and missile systems have already been integrated with our own IACCS network. The focus is increasingly on open architectures and interoperability by design, so that new systems can communicate with legacy assets, irrespective of their origin.

Third, maintenance and logistics. The multi-origin challenge is felt most sharply in the hangar and the repair depot. Each fleet comes with its own manuals, tools, test equipment, spares chains and OEM support arrangements, and our technicians must sustain Russian, Western and indigenous systems side by side. That makes dependence on external supply chains a real operational risk in a prolonged contingency. We are addressing it in several ways:

• building indigenous repair and overhaul capability for engines, radars, avionics and other line-replaceable units;
• developing common, indigenous test equipment that can serve more than one fleet;
• localising spares and managing obsolescence through our indigenisation pipelines.

Projects like e-Maintenance Management System (e-MMS) and Integrated Materials Management Online System (IMMOLS) have been key steps towards bringing maintenance and logistics for diverse fleets into a common digital ecosystem. They mark a shift from preventive to predictive maintenance. We also insist that every new induction, indigenous or foreign, comes with maintenance sovereignty built in: repair rights, access to technical data and test equipment, and in-country overhaul. The result is that a fleet of mixed origin can be sustained as one, with a single standard of maintenance and a single view of readiness.

As the development of indigenous systems, weapons and platforms gathers pace, this endeavour will become progressively less challenging. Our objective presently is clear: different platforms, one operational architecture, and one fighting force.

Q/ The IAF doesn’t have a huge fleet of assets. How will it be impacted by the ongoing process of theaterisation? Where does the IAF go from here in the theaterisation, jointness and integration effort? Do you see consolidation of air assets post creation of theatre commands?

A/ The IAF is fully committed to jointness and integration. Future conflicts will be multi-domain by their very nature, and the three services will be planning and operating together much more closely than ever before. The question before us is not whether to integrate, but how to integrate in a manner that best serves India’s security.

Technology, adversaries and circumstances will keep shifting, often in ways no one can foresee. The structures we create must be able to absorb such shifts. They should therefore be evaluated in the context of India’s specific security requirements, and not built by simply replicating models from other countries.

Q/ What is your take on the assurances of aircraft makers on transfer of technology for military aircraft?

A/ Transfer of technology is an area where we must be very clear about what we mean by the term. Our experience over several decades has shown that manufacturing an aircraft in India and acquiring the ability to design, modify and independently upgrade it are not necessarily the same thing.

We acknowledge the considerable benefits gained from licensed production. It has helped create manufacturing skills, maintenance infrastructure, quality-control processes and a large pool of aerospace expertise. But genuine transfer of technology must go considerably beyond assembly, or manufacture from supplied drawings and kits. For us, the real test is simple: what capability remains in India at the end of the programme? Can Indian industry manufacture critical components independently? Can we integrate an Indian weapon or sensor, modify software and mission systems, or upgrade the electronic warfare suite? And, most importantly, can the knowledge acquired contribute to the design and development of our next generation of aircraft?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then technology transfer has created strategic value. We also have to be realistic. Technologies associated with engines, advanced sensors, electronic warfare, low observability, mission software and certain manufacturing processes represent decades of investment. They often carry strategic restrictions. Complete transfer of technology for such critical systems will not be forthcoming, for obvious reasons. This has become a reality and is now a bargaining chip in modern geopolitics.

This is also why we are looking beyond conventional transfer-of-technology arrangements. In critical areas such as advanced propulsion, secure communication, terminal guidance systems, electronic warfare systems and certain categories of aerial weapons, we are pursuing collaboration with strategic partners alongside our ongoing indigenous efforts. In certain categories of weapons and platforms, we are pursuing co-development models. These models can yield far better long-term dividends, because they give us not just the know-how but the know-why of a system or platform.

We are well placed to seize these opportunities. Over the years, the capacity of Indian industry to absorb and innovate has grown significantly, and the IAF has been a significant contributor to that growth. Our objective is clear: every partnership we enter must leave India more capable and more self-reliant than before.

Q/ What is the status of induction of niche tech in the IAF in the backdrop of the modernisation effort? Which are the areas of focus? What are IAF plans for adoption of AI and ML technologies and what will be their impact in the medium term?

A/ In the wars of the future, the decisive advantage will increasingly come not from any single platform, but from the ability to combine technologies. That is why niche technologies sit at the heart of the Indian Air Force’s modernisation effort. They are not add-ons to our platforms but the very core of what will make those platforms decisive.

Beyond the core areas I outlined while describing our aerospace roadmap, which are sensors, networks, electronic warfare, secure communications and long-range precision weapons, we are pursuing a new generation of emerging technologies. These include Manned–Unmanned Teaming, collaborative swarm drones and anti-swarm defence, and persistent high-resolution ISR using HAPS and satellites. They also include hypersonic weapons and their counter-systems, quantum communication and encryption, autonomous systems, multi-sensor data fusion and decision support tools. These are reinforced by enabling fields such as computer vision, edge computing, additive manufacturing, advanced simulation and digital engineering.

Running through almost all of these is Artificial Intelligence. The use of AI and Machine Learning is inherent in the development of increasingly autonomous and decision support systems. In the medium term, I expect AI to have a particularly significant impact for one simple reason: it can be inserted across our existing fleets and systems without waiting for complete platform replacement. Our approach is therefore one of dual-track modernisation. We will continue to induct advanced platforms, while simultaneously making our existing systems more intelligent, more connected and more software-defined.

To drive this, the IAF has established UDAAN, its AI Centre of Excellence, to build indigenous expertise and develop AI and ML applications in-house. UDAAN gives us a mechanism to move beyond technology demonstrations to AI capabilities that are operationally relevant and shaped by the user.

Realising this potential will demand sustained design and development effort, backed by resources, public–private partnerships and close collaboration with academia. Timely absorption of these technologies will be critical to achieving meaningful self-reliance and maintaining the deterrence the nation requires. The IAF is fully committed to that effort. In the medium term, these efforts will create a force that is not only better equipped, but will also be more intelligent in the way it sees, decides and acts.

Q/ With a focus towards unmanned aerial platforms, do you see a change in the IAF’s operational role? With the possibility of stand-off conflicts increasing, what is the future you foresee for legacy platforms like fighters? Will human role get much reduced? How much IAF focus is there on wingman technology which is the cutting-edge technology at this point of time? How far has the IAF gone into it?

A/ Unmanned aerial platforms are an integral aspect of air power. The integration of unmanned platforms, with drones employed as force multipliers and force integrators, will be an essential aspect of all future operations. So yes, I do see the IAF’s operational role evolving.

Unmanned systems are following the same trajectory that manned platforms once did. They will progressively move beyond the traditional ISR role. Their advantages in persistence, risk tolerance, scalability and potentially lower operating cost make them particularly relevant in contested environments. I foresee a mix of remotely piloted, supervised-autonomous and increasingly autonomous platforms performing ISR, electronic warfare, decoy, communications-relay and strike functions. They will increasingly complement manned fighters, undertaking a variety of missions. Together, manned and unmanned platforms offer a tiered approach to distributed lethality. We saw a glimpse of this in Operation Sindoor where, as I described earlier, the effect came from many capabilities working in combination rather than from any single weapon or platform.

This brings me to the future of the fighter. A growing emphasis on stand-off engagement does not make the fighter irrelevant but simply changes what the fighter does. The question is not whether manned fighters will become obsolete, but how they can be integrated into a larger human–machine combat system. The fighter is evolving into a flying command centre, while unmanned platforms take on the high-risk, high-attrition roles of the modern battlefield. Consider this: across the world today, multiple sixth-generation combat aircraft programmes are running concurrently. Each takes a different approach, but one common thread ties them all together. At the heart of every one of them is a manned fighter, working alongside unmanned systems rather than being replaced by them. The nations investing most heavily in the future of air combat have reached the same conclusion. The manned fighter remains relevant, and the future lies in the seamless, synergistic integration of the unmanned with the manned. The fighter also brings qualities that no stand-off weapon can fully replicate: it can be re-tasked, redirected or recalled as the situation changes, and it returns to fight again.

Will the human role be reduced? It will change, but it can never be eliminated. The role will move from directly performing every task to commanding, supervising and employing a robust mix of manned and unmanned capabilities, which is Manned–Unmanned Teaming. The strength of this teaming lies in mutual advantage. Machines bring speed, endurance, precision and the ability to process vast volumes of data without fatigue. Humans bring judgement, intuition, adaptability and the ability to make sense of the unexpected. Each covers the other’s limitations, and together they achieve what neither could alone. AI will be the enabling layer that allows manned platforms to control, task and collaborate with multiple unmanned assets. Machines will increasingly handle data-heavy functions, navigation, coordination and time-critical recommendations, freeing the human to focus on what matters most: mission intent, rules of engagement and accountability. In the final analysis, the decision to employ force must rest with a human being.

On wingman technology, the IAF’s focus is sustained and deliberate. For us, MUM-T is not simply a “Loyal Wingman” programme. It has long been part of our capability development roadmap, and since 2019 the IAF has been the lead Service in articulating the Operational Requirements for MUM-T to HAL. We have projected our requirements to industry, and we stand ready to assist in addressing any design and developmental challenges it may face. That engagement is gathering pace, as the industry response at Dronathon-2026, which I mentioned earlier, clearly showed.

The Air Force of the future will neither be wholly manned nor wholly unmanned. It will be a seamlessly teamed force, with the human as the commander and machines as trusted partners. The IAF is committed to building that force, in partnership with Indian industry, so that it remains ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s battle-space.

Q/ How are we improving our ISR capabilities in the future? What is the roadmap ahead for IAF?

A/ Every effect that air power creates begins with the ability to see. Before a weapon is employed, the target must be detected, identified and located with the required accuracy, and after the engagement, its effect must be assessed. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance is therefore not a supporting function; it is the foundation on which the entire kill chain rests. Operation Sindoor reaffirmed this, since every precise effect we delivered began with ISR. Strengthening our ISR capability is accordingly one of the Indian Air Force’s highest priorities.

The IAF’s focus is shifting from basic tactical surveillance towards combat and High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) capabilities. The aim is a layered ISR architecture, in which each layer extends the reach and persistence of the others. At one level, the IAF is increasing its fleet of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which provide both persistent ISR and strike capability. At a higher level, we plan to procure High Altitude Pseudo Satellites to achieve persistent and seamless surveillance. Above these layers, space-based ISR offers greater depth and a far wider view of the battle-space. Combined with airborne and terrestrial sensors, it can substantially improve situational awareness.

Seeing, however, is only half the task. The value of ISR lies in how quickly information becomes action. Our ultimate goal is a seamless data link in which an ISR RPA detects a target, the data is fused at a command-and-control centre, and the targeting coordinates are pushed directly to the strike platform in seconds. Extending the IACCS network I spoke of earlier, so that it integrates all ground, air and space-borne sensors, is central to achieving this.

Industry is an essential partner in this effort. The Mehar Baba Competitions, together with the Dronathon and the Indian Air Force Unmanned & Autonomous Roadmap I referred to earlier, are increasingly encouraging private industry to meet the IAF’s requirements. They have proved highly effective in engaging MSMEs and start-ups, which are brimming with energy and will deliver on the IAF’s futuristic demands.

The IAF’s direction is clear: persistent coverage, faster fusion, and seamless links from sensor to shooter, built increasingly with Indian industry. The Air Force of tomorrow will see further, understand faster and act before the adversary, and it will ensure that no threat to the nation goes unseen.

Q/ There has been a lot of development in border infrastructure on the Chinese side. But we come to know of it much later. What is the surveillance strategy that the IAF pursues? Is there a need to overhaul it?

A/ Surveillance is an area where we can never say that we have enough. So, does our surveillance architecture need to evolve? Absolutely. But I would use the word “evolve” rather than “overhaul”. The foundations are sound, and what we are doing now is building on them, adding capacity, persistence and speed across every domain.

Our surveillance strategy in the northern sector has already moved from periodic reconnaissance to a far more persistent, technology-driven approach. We draw on ISR assets across all three domains.

Where we are placing the greatest emphasis is persistence. We are moving away from snapshots taken on a schedule and towards a continuous watch over areas of interest. This includes further space-based surveillance under SBS-III, ELINT satellites, satellites developed with advanced technology by start-ups through iDEX challenges, and ISTAR aircraft and HALE UAVs. Low Earth Orbit constellations with shorter revisit times will bring us progressively closer to near-real-time updates. Improved airborne early-warning capability and better integration of sensors will complete the picture.

But the real challenge today is not simply obtaining data. Modern forces generate enormous quantities of imagery, radar tracks, electronic emissions and other intelligence. The problem is identifying what has changed, determining what is operationally significant, and getting that information to the commander quickly enough to act on it. This is where automation becomes decisive. The IAF is integrating AI-driven tools such as automatic target recognition and change detection.

In essence, our focus is on persistence and automation, so that the IAF’s cycle of observing, orienting, deciding and acting is always faster than the adversary’s cycle of construction and deployment. We will continue to strengthen every layer of this architecture, so that developments across our borders are known to us not later, but as they happen.

Q/ Is the pace of indigenisation able to match the pace of the effort to rapidly modernise the IAF?

A/ We have made significant progress in indigenisation. Today, Indian industry contributes across a much wider spectrum than ever before, from aircraft, missiles, radars and communications to increasingly unmanned and autonomous technologies. That is a considerable achievement, and it forms the foundation of our long-term 
self-reliance.

At the same time, we must recognise that the technological requirements of modern air warfare are advancing extremely rapidly. The benchmark is not where technology stood five years ago. It is the capability we are likely to face when a system actually enters operational service. So, yes, there are areas where the pace needs to increase, and time is an extremely important factor. The challenge before us is to make the indigenous ecosystem sufficiently agile, technologically ambitious and time-conscious to meet the operational requirements of the IAF.

This is precisely why, as I explained at the outset, the IAF follows a capability-driven approach and a combined strategy. Defence planning must address more than one time horizon: immediate requirements, requirements for the next decade, and requirements beyond that. We cannot create a capability vacuum while indigenous programmes mature. Where we must acquire, we do so in a manner that strengthens Indian industry. Meanwhile, the steps I described earlier, from the industry-driven AMCA execution model to our direct engagement with industry at Dronathon-2026, are aimed squarely at making the indigenous ecosystem faster.

Indigenisation and modernisation, therefore, are not competing goals; they are two parts of the same strategy. The IAF will continue to work hand in hand with Indian industry to accelerate that journey, so that the capabilities the nation needs tomorrow are increasingly designed, developed and built in India.

Q/ How big is the IAF role in defining specifications for procurement of advanced air power?

A/ The specifications of a weapon system are where capability is first defined. What is written into a requirement today will determine what our aircrew fly and fight with for decades. As the primary operator of the capabilities being acquired in the aerospace domain, the Indian Air Force plays the lead role in defining them. It is a responsibility we treat with the utmost seriousness.

The desired technical specifications are formulated with specific operational objectives in mind, because no one understands the demands of the battle-space better than the Service that must fight in it. An environmental scan then identifies the essential and desirable attributes that can be achieved through both mature and emerging technologies.

This matters because a specification must strike a careful balance. If it is too ambitious, it risks delay, or a requirement that no one can deliver in time. If it is too modest, the capability may be outdated by the time it enters service. The IAF’s task is to set requirements that are ambitious enough to secure a meaningful operational edge, and realistic enough to be delivered within the timeframe the nation needs.

The spiral development model helps us strike that balance. Rather than waiting for a perfect solution, we allow platform capabilities to evolve over time, with each stage building on the last. The Tejas family illustrates this approach well, from the Mk-1 to the Mk-1A and on to the Mk-II.

The process itself is collaborative and deliberative, in accordance with the provisions of the Defence Acquisition Procedure. Preliminary and Air Staff Qualitative Requirements are formulated in consultation with all stakeholders, including DRDO and the Department of Defence Production, alongside the Service’s own subject-matter experts. Broad requirements, in the form of Operational Requirements, are shared with industry at the Request for Information stage. Once responses are received, the Air Staff Qualitative Requirements and the Statement of Case are finalised. They are then placed before the Services Procurement Board, the Defence Procurement Board and the Defence Acquisition Council for accord of Acceptance of Necessity.

The specifications of any new acquisition are therefore grounded in three considerations: the capability we envisage, the solutions available in the environment, and realistic timelines and industrial capacity for delivering that capability.

Increasingly, we are also engaging industry well before the formal process begins. Our early articulation of the MUM-T Operational Requirements to HAL, and the Indian Air Force Unmanned & Autonomous Roadmap released this September, both of which I mentioned earlier, are examples. The earlier industry understands what the IAF needs, the faster and better it can deliver.

Our commitment is clear. The IAF will continue to define its requirements with rigour, realism and foresight, so that every capability we seek serves the operational needs of tomorrow and strengthens India’s own industrial base.

Q/ What is your take on the progress in the development of the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA)?

A/ Progress in a programme as complex as a fifth-generation fighter cannot be measured only by the day the aircraft first takes to the skies. It must also be measured by whether the right decisions have been taken, the right structures put in place and the right partnerships formed to carry the programme through. By each of these measures, the AMCA programme has moved decisively forward.

The foundation was laid in April 2024, when the Cabinet Committee on Security accorded sanction to the milestones and timelines proposed by DRDO. This gave the programme a clear, approved roadmap, with the induction of the AMCA slated for the next decade.

The next major step came in May 2025, with the Programme Execution Model I touched upon earlier. Approved by the defence minister, it moved the project to an industry-driven model. Under this model, the Aeronautical Development Agency executes the programme through industry partnership. Private and public sector companies are given equal opportunities on a competitive basis, and may bid independently, as joint ventures or as consortia. For the first time, the private sector has the opportunity to participate alongside public sector companies in a defence project of this magnitude. The plan is to develop five prototypes, to be followed by series production. This is a significant shift. It widens the industrial base behind the programme and brings fresh capacity, competition and investment into India’s combat aircraft sector.

Equally important is the discipline with which the programme is being managed. ADA, the designer of the AMCA, drives the consortium, with the active involvement of the IAF. The IAF carries out periodic reviews in coordination with all agencies and the Programme Management Team, and the most recent review was conducted in July 2026. As the eventual operator, the IAF’s involvement from the design stage ensures that the aircraft is shaped around our operational requirements from the very beginning.

Programmes of this complexity are demanding by nature, and we do not underestimate the challenges ahead. What gives us confidence is that the essential elements are now in place: approved milestones, a clear execution model, a broad industrial partnership and sustained oversight.

The significance of the AMCA extends well beyond a single aircraft. Its success is absolutely essential for the development of next-generation technological capabilities across the Indian defence ecosystem, including the private sector. Any collaboration on a futuristic sixth-generation programme will only strengthen these ongoing indigenisation efforts, not substitute for them. The capabilities India builds through the AMCA will be the springboard for what comes next.

The Indian Air Force is fully committed to the AMCA. We will continue to work closely with ADA, DRDO and Indian industry to ensure that the programme meets its milestones and delivers a world-class, indigenous fifth-generation fighter to the IAF.

Q/ What is the most important air force platform or system that you have for the IAF’s wish-list?

A/ If you are asking me to name a single platform, my answer is that no single platform, however capable, wins a war on its own. That was the clearest lesson of Operation Sindoor. The IAF’s “wish-list” is therefore not a single item but a balanced set of capabilities across multiple domains. It is built on an assessment of threats, adversary capabilities, emerging technologies and the lessons of recent conflicts.

That said, the most immediate priority is clear: combat platforms. Beyond the indigenous and acquisition programmes I outlined at the start of this conversation, we seek the upgrade of the Su-30 fleet, including through indigenous sources. Important steps have already been taken. In February 2026, the Defence Acquisition Council accorded Acceptance of Necessity for the MRFA. It will strengthen the IAF’s ability to undertake air-dominance roles across the spectrum of conflict and boost its deterrence with long-range offensive strikes. The majority of these aircraft will be manufactured in India.

Platforms, however, derive their true value from what surrounds them. Our other priorities, from networked operations and combat enablers to long-range weapons, layered air defence and unmanned systems, are those I set out when describing our aerospace roadmap. What I would add is that progress on them is now clearly visible. In December 2025, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared Astra Mk-II missiles long-range guidance kits for the IAF. In February 2026, it accorded Acceptance of Necessity for combat missiles that will enhance our stand-off ground-attack capability with deep strike power and very high accuracy. We continue to seek long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles compatible with the IAF’s diverse fleet, and multiple air-to-ground weapons are under development through indigenous programmes. Counter-unmanned systems, long-range loitering munitions and advanced electronic warfare suites are equally essential. Completing the picture are suitable transport and helicopter platforms for strategic reach, tactical flexibility and timely logistics.

Each of these reinforces the others, and none can be neglected without weakening the whole. With the progress already made and the momentum now building, I am confident that the Indian Air Force will steadily acquire the full spectrum of capabilities it needs to remain a formidable, future-ready force.

Q/ What are the IAF plans in supporting India’s interests in IOR and what are your future plans?

A/ The Indian Ocean Region is strategically vital to India. Our trade, our energy security and the security of our island territories and sea lanes are all bound up with it. In a region of such vast distances, speed and reach matter more than anywhere else, and these are precisely what air power offers. The IAF therefore plays a pivotal role in safeguarding India’s maritime interests, and that role will only grow.

Our primary focus is on sustaining extended-range operational capability and on strengthening interoperability with the Indian Navy and with our regional partners. Over the ocean, reach depends on force multipliers. Mid-air refuellers extend the range and endurance of our combat aircraft, while airborne early warning systems provide the surveillance and command needed to operate far from our shores. Geography is also a significant advantage for India. We continue to leverage our strategic posture in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which serve as a critical springboard for operations in the eastern IOR.

Our recent exercise with a regional partner, the Royal Thai Air Force, demonstrated these capabilities in practice. The exercise showed the IAF’s ability to project air power over extended maritime distances, and its capacity to operate seamlessly with a friendly foreign air force in the region.

The IAF’s contribution in the IOR is not limited to combat capability. Our airlift capability allows India to act as a dependable first responder when our neighbours need help. When Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka in November 2025, India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu, and IAF aircraft formed a vital part of the relief effort. Operations such as these build trust and goodwill across the region. That trust is itself an enduring component of security.

Looking ahead, we will seek greater operational reach and persistence over the ocean, more networked combat power, deeper reliance on indigenous technology, and expanding security partnerships with friendly foreign nations. Our objective is to ensure that the IAF remains ready, responsive and fully capable of protecting India’s national interests. At the same time, we want to contribute to a free, stable and secure Indian Ocean Region, so that whether the call is for deterrence or for relief, the IAF can answer it swiftly and decisively.

Q/ What changes are being undertaken to adapt to emerging challenges and lessons from ongoing conflicts?

A/ Modern conflicts have reinforced one fundamental reality: the character of warfare is evolving rapidly, and the ability to adapt faster than the adversary is critical. In today’s conflicts, a technology that offers an advantage one month can be countered the next. The side that learns, adapts and fields solutions faster holds the advantage. For the Indian Air Force, adaptation is therefore a continuous discipline.

The lessons are clear. Unmanned systems have proliferated across battlefields. The electromagnetic, cyber and information domains are fiercely contested. Networks and precision weapons have transformed the pace and reach of operations. And every force must now be prepared to operate even when its communications, navigation and other networks are degraded or denied. The IAF is translating these lessons into concrete action, comprehensively updating our doctrine, training paradigms, force structure and capability development. We are placing greater emphasis on technology, autonomy, Artificial Intelligence and indigenous solutions, while strengthening our ability to operate in contested electromagnetic, cyber and information domains.

Our own operational experience has sharpened these lessons. The performance of our networked air defence against the drones and stand-off weapons launched during Operation Sindoor, which I described earlier, has reinforced our resolve to keep strengthening an integrated, layered air defence.

Our initiatives in unmanned and counter-unmanned systems, and in advanced electronic warfare, reflect this priority. At Dronathon-2026, unmanned systems were assessed under realistic operational conditions. The assessment covered surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies, electronic warfare and counter-UAS capability, with a focus on reliability and effectiveness in contested environments. During the event, the IAF also demonstrated a key capability of Vayu UTtaM, its indigenously developed multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system, which detected and tracked both military and civil unmanned aircraft in real time.

Adaptation also depends on institutions that can turn ideas into capability quickly. UDAAN, our AI Centre of Excellence which I spoke of earlier, is one such institution.

Our aim is to build an IAF that is agile, adaptive and capable of generating strategic and operational effects across multiple domains, while retaining the readiness to respond rapidly to unforeseen challenges. Our roadmap is clear: learn continuously, adapt rapidly, integrate across domains, and remain decisively combat-ready.