Military aviation is at an inflexion point. Recent wars — Armenia-Azerbaijan, Russia-Ukraine — have revolutionised warfare through the extensive use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and brought into question the relevance of the manned fighter. Elon Musk told a US Air Force Symposium in February 2020, “The fighter jet era has passed.” The statement created waves worldwide, but was premature then, and now.

In India, the Indian Air Force’s offensive element will remain Delhi’s main deterrent weapon and, as a corollary, the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), being its main equipper, will remain vitally important. It is imperative that the government doubles down to make HAL deliver to prevent India’s air power from losing its operational bite. A few suggestions are offered here.

“IAF needs fighter aircraft urgently” now draws yawns. The revelation of J-36 by China and Pentagon’s sanction for F-47, both sixth generation fighters, is further proof that manned aviation is here to stay. So, with the IAF placing all its trust in HAL’s Tejas Mk1A, Mk2 and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft for the next four decades, its efficiency is critical. HAL needs to become a real maharatna — and not remain bureaucratically........

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