China recently unveiled two new fighter jets, speculated to be sixth-generation aircraft, capturing global attention and signalling its readiness for potential conflict. The video showcasing these jets has sparked widespread discussion about China’s advancements in military technology. Nations like the United States, China, Russia, and France are known for their advanced fighter jet programs, while India continues to rely on foreign imports to meet its air force’s needs and enhance its capabilities. Currently, India depends on the French-made Rafale jets for its multirole fighter needs.
Key figures in India’s defence ecosystem seem to have taken note of the recent developments, sparking discussions across various circles about how India has fallen behind in developing advanced defence technologies, particularly those related to fighter jets.
China Vs India
Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Tuesday flagged serious flaws pushing India backwards in the global race. As India faces a dual threat from Pakistan and China, Singh said that China’s technology is growing at a rapid pace.
“As far as defence is concerned, we have concerns from our northern and western adversaries. Both of them are increasing their forces at a rapid pace. As far as China is concerned, it is not just numbers. The technology is also growing at a rapid pace. We just saw the flight of the latest new generation aircraft that they have pulled out.. the stealth fighter,” the Air Chief Marshal said.
Shortage Of R&D Funds
Speaking at the 21st Subroto Mukherjee seminar on ‘Aatmanirbharta in Aerospace Sector’ in the national capital, Singh said that the Research and Development funds are very short in the country.
“R&D loses its relevance if it is not able to meet the timeline. We need to give greater leeway to the researchers. There will be failures, let’s not be scared of failures. I think we are losing a lot of time because we are scared of failure…Defence is one sector where time is very important. If we don’t meet the timeline, technology is of no use. So we need to learn from our failures and move on…R&D funds are woefully short. We are just about at 5%, should be at 15% (of the defence budget),” said the Air Chief Marshal.
Production Rate Slow: IAF Chief
Flagging the manufacturers over the slow production rate, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that the IAF has not even received the 40 Tejas aircraft, adding that the production agencies have to invest in their advanced manufacturing processes.
“We need to increase our capacity….Production agencies have to invest in their advanced manufacturing processes so that the speed can increase upskilling their manpower and whatever they do, the scale of production has to go up. Tejas just started inducting in 2016. Actually, we should go back to 1984 when we conceived that aircraft. The first aircraft flew in 2001, 17 years. Then the induction started another 15 years later, in 2016. Today we are in 2024. I do not have the 1st 40 aircraft also, so this is the production capability. We need to do something and I am very convinced that we need to get some private players in. We need to have competition. We need to have multiple sources available so that people are wary of losing their orders.,” the IAF chief opined.
DRDO Chief Demands Hike In R&D Funds
DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat said that India invests only 5% of its defence budget on R&D and this has to increase to 10-15% if the country has to achieve all goals. “The government is sanguine about this and hopefully, in the next 5-10 years we will transition from 5% to 15% of the defence budget on R&D…The first priority is aero engines. Today, we have demonstrated a 4th generation aero engine for our fighter aircraft. Going ahead we will need a 6th generation aero engine…But one has to realise that if we want this capability the country will have to invest close to 4-5 billion dollars. That’s Rs 40,000-50,000 crores because we should not repeat the mistakes that we have made in the past…” he said.
The Tejas project is also delayed and the Indian Air Force may find it difficult to be combat-ready if escalations happen from any adversary, feel experts.
