Opinion Two Decades of IAF Acquisitions: From UPA's Su-30 Focus to NDA's Rafale and Tejas Push, Challenges Remain

The Indian Air Force (IAF), a cornerstone of India's defence strategy, has faced persistent challenges in maintaining and modernizing its fighter jet fleet over the past two decades.

Examining the acquisition patterns under two successive governments reveals a story of delays, cancellations, and a struggle to keep pace with the rapid advancements in aerial warfare technology.

From 2004 to 2014, under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the IAF ordered 122 fighter jets. These included:

• 82 Su-30MKI: These Russian-made jets were part of a long-standing acquisition program to bolster the IAF's air superiority capabilities. The Su-30MKI, with its dual-seat configuration, has become a workhorse of the IAF, known for its versatility in both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles.
• 40 LCA Tejas MK-1: This indigenous project aimed to replace the aging MiG-21 fleet. The MK-1 version represented India's initial foray into self-reliance in fighter jet production.

However, this period was marred by significant delays in the Tejas program and the controversial cancellation of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender, which sought to acquire 126 fighters but ultimately failed after years of negotiations.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, led by Narendra Modi, has continued the effort to modernize the IAF, albeit with its own set of challenges and achievements. Key acquisitions from 2014 to 2024 include:

• 36 Rafale: These French jets were procured under an emergency purchase in 2016, bypassing the earlier MMRCA process. The Rafale brought cutting-edge technology to the IAF, including advanced avionics, beyond-visual-range missiles, and significant ground attack capabilities.
• 83 LCA Tejas MK-1A: An upgrade over the initial MK-1, the MK-1A variant features more advanced avionics, an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, and improved weaponry. This order reflects a continued push towards indigenization and self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
• 12 Su-30MKI: Additional orders for these jets were placed to replace aircraft lost in accidents and maintain the operational fleet strength.

Despite these acquisitions, the NDA government has faced criticism for not adequately addressing the IAF's dwindling squadron strength. The number of operational squadrons has decreased to around 31, falling significantly short of the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons. This decline is attributed to phasing out older aircraft without sufficient replacements, delays in indigenous programs like the Tejas MK-2, and slow progress on the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Both decades have witnessed India struggling to maintain its fleet size and technological edge compared to regional rivals like China and Pakistan, who have aggressively modernized their air forces. This highlights the urgent need for India to streamline its acquisition processes, expedite indigenous development programs, and adopt a more strategic approach to ensure the IAF remains a potent force in the years to come.

 

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[sanket]

May be 15 years because the first jet from MRFA with local production may be delivered by 2030 end, but more induction plans are going for 180 Tejas MK1A followed by Tejas MK2.

 

[Chinese eater]

If India comes to know only today about maturity and flight of China's 6th gen fighter aircraft that to two models then it's the biggest intelligence failure.
all fighter jets in Indian inventory including Rafale is no match for Chinese 5th and 6th gen fighter aircrafts. Sooner or later those 5-6th gen fighter aircrafts will land in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Buy ~3 squadrons of SU57. 10-15 squadrons of LCA MK2. Upgrade TEDBF to 5th gen fighter. Have an IAF variant for that. AMCA is already delayed. We wasted a lot of time in decision making, design reviews and approvals. Cancel AMCA altogether instead go directly for 6th gen jet.

 

[kumar]

Going forward, investment into engine technology will be key for any future fighter developments.

 

[nara]

No wars took place during 2014-2024, so all the scare-mongering tactics (we only have 30 squadrons, China has 1900 planes, 2-front war yada yada yada) to pressurize the government to spend big bucks to buy foreign aircraft were just that—to spend money to buy foreign stuff. There will be no war during 2025-2035 either, so India should just focus on local defence development.

 

[Sandeep]

This article is factually wrong. The Sukhoi deal was negotiated by the previous NDA government in large numbers and with different batches with upgrades. All they did was sign an already done deal.

Also it’s true that that we haven’t inducted many fighters that we critically need but this isn’t the government fault. At the start of the government they fixed the issues with developing theTejas MK1A as the program was effectively dead. Once it was certified and ready they negotiated a deal to manufacture the jets with HAL. It’s HAL that has failed to deliver what was promised by them to the government and air force and we are now thinking of ordering more.

Now we are manufacturing the Tejas MK2 and AMCA prototype which needs to be manufactured indigenously and as quickly as possible. The recent delays in manufacturing the Tejas MK2 is another failure by HAL which was started properly and developed by the NDA government. Hopefully there won’t be any delays on the AMCA jet as that’s the main jet that we need.

 

[Raja Raja Cholan]

Wow, ten years of negotiations for the 126 MMRCA finally ended with nothing. But the bureaucrats thought that the 36 Rafale would pacify the IAF's constant push for 126 MMRCA. The bureaucrats, who have no knowledge about imminent threats looming around borders along the west and most critically at the east, are not even bothered, so bolstering the air force is not a priority. It looks like they don't even remember the 1962 incident where Chinese troops made a surprise attack on Indian armed forces and conveniently occupied Sichuan Glacier till today. And/or at least, are these bureaucrats aware of the constant Chinese harassment of our troops along the eastern border? It is very obvious the bureaucracy is not interested in the 114 MRFA this time either. They will drag the procurement decision to the end of the time with nothing. The MRFA procurement is highly necessary to allow Mk1A, Mk2, and AMCA to take their time at their own convenience till they make it up to the sky. But I have little confidence it will happen.

 

[ASHOK CARROL]

The IAF is in dangerous waters with its head just above water. The actual CAT-1 squadrons available for 3 fronts are only 18 to 20, as the MiG-21, MiG-29s, Mirage 2000, and Jaguars (2, 3, 3, and 6 squadrons) are all over 40-45 years old, and at 60% availability, no more than 20 squadrons will be available for the first 48 hours, which may increase to 25-28 squadrons for the next 96 hours, when squadron numbers will fall to precarious levels, not counting the numbers that will be shot down, damaged, or unavailable because of repairs and spares. This dangerous slide needs an in-depth investigation of dereliction of responsibility and accountability by the political leadership, the bureaucrats of MoD, MoD finance, acquisitions, IAF top brass, DRDO, finance ministry babus, and PMO, including differences of opinions of officers posted in NSA or general sloth of decision-making of the higher defence organization of the country, with recommendations to lay down new time-bound procedures cutting through red tape and outside commercial interference.

 

[Sham Kumar Saini]

Govt must get rid of bureaucratic delays out of Defence Procurement System by involving real time expert users among Defence Forces. Secondly, Indigenous Technology must be given more Funds for R&D and enhanced Production to meet out the shortfalls to keep our Defence Preparedness up to the mark.

 

[Mahipal Singh Rawat]

Why does nobody see the elephant in the room? Our problems are our R&D and our scientists. They make nothing because they have never been questioned.

We need to kick out scientists from DRDO/HAL and other defence companies. DRDO has become a burden to India, and it needs to be dismantled and a fresh, competitive organisation restructured.

China started from scratch and kept their scientists on their toes. We need to do the same. No reservation-based recruitment of scientists, retiring old and useless scientists, and project performance-based promotion can be some solutions.