In a speech on the occasion of the 88th anniversary of the IAF, Bhadauria also assured the nation that the force will evolve and will always be ready to safeguard the sovereignty and interests of India in all circumstances.
Speaking of the security challenges in eastern Ladakh, the Chief of Air Staff He praised the air warriors for their prompt response in the recent engagement, and spoke about the rapid deployment of combat assets on short notice to handle any eventualities.
“We have clearly demonstrated our determination, operational capacity and willingness to engage effectively with the adversary, should the need arise,” he said after inspecting the Air Force Day parade at Hindon air base.
“I would like to congratulate all warriors for the swift response, in the recent confrontation on our northern borders, when we deployed our combat assets on short notice to handle any eventuality, and we proactively support all deployment and sustenance requirements for the Indian Army, “Bhadauria said.
Indian and Chinese troops have been embroiled in a bitter border dispute for the past five months in eastern Ladakh and the IAF has made a significant deployment to the region.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh greeted the IAF on its founding day and said the government is committed to improving the force’s combat capabilities.
“The nation is proud of its men and women in blue and salutes the prowess of the IAF as it stands ready to meet challenges and deter adversaries. We remain committed to enhancing the IAF’s combat capability through modernization and indigenization, “he said.
In his speech, the Air Chief of Staff also warned about the evolution “threat matrix“in the region, and he said that it calls for a greater need for a strong air force to fight in all domains and across the spectrum of warfare.
“The evolving threat matrix in our region is becoming complex, from aspiring adversaries with huge investments in military arsenal, to those collusively supported by non-state actors, in addition to the growing sub-conventional threats emanating from terrorism and cyberspace.” , He said.
Bhadauria said that disruptive technologies and easy access to low-cost options like drones demand increasing attention to sub-conventional dominance.
The IAF also held a spectacular airshow at the event, showcasing its vintage aircraft and modern fleet, including the recently added Rafale aircraft.
The IAF chief said that despite the coronavirus pandemic, the force has maintained its ability to undertake large-scale operations while taking proactive measures to counter the spread of COVID-19.
“The tenacity and determination of our air warriors ensured that the IAF continued to retain its ability and ability to undertake large-scale operations during this period,” he said.
Bhadauria also spoke about the IAF culture and teamwork ethic, telling the air warriors that it will “help them overcome the temptation, if there is any, to seek personal glory, while in service or beyond”.
He also described the creation of the post of Chief of the Defense Staff and the Department of Military Affairs as a “historic step” towards increasing the effectiveness of three services, the coordination and the general combat capabilities of the armed forces.
“We are working proactively to establish joint command structures. The air defense command formation is spearheading the commands of three planned services, and will further optimize all available air defense resources and will be supported by a strong structure of decision making, and this is at an advanced stage, “he said.
On modernizing the IAF, he said the vision is to continue to comprehensively expand combat capability and to be a force to be reckoned with across the sphere of influence through careful force structuring and acquisition of indigenous team.
“The recent induction of the latest generation Rafale, Chinook and Apache aircraft have significantly increased our combat capabilities over our adversaries on the battlefield,” Bhadauria said.
“Our offensive strike capability has been further refined, with upgrades to our aircraft with weapons and sensors, cleverly supported by a networked decision-making matrix,” he added.
The Air Chief of Staff also spoke about the IAF’s full support for the government’s self-reliance initiative, saying the force is rapidly shifting to indigenous equipment and platforms.
He also mentioned the induction of a large number of locally developed platforms such as Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Netra airborne early warning and control system, Akash surface-to-air missile systems and BrahMos missiles.
The Air Chief of Staff also mentioned the introduction of an electronic maintenance management system at the IAF for all its flying platforms and combat assets.
“This is virtually the largest maintenance monitoring system in the world, on various types of platforms and numbers,” he added.
On future requirements, he highlighted efforts to develop an indigenous combat system with sixth-generation technologies and mentioned plans to develop directed energy weapons, optionally manned combat platforms, swarm drones, and hypersonic weapons.
“The space domain is likely to become increasingly important in the coming years and is being given the necessary boost. I want all air warriors to understand the importance of the next decade and to work proactively to make the Force Air India is the growth engine for our independent aerospace industry, “he said.
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