Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 10

The Indian Air Force today sounded an alarm saying it does not have enough fighter jets to tackle a simultaneous two-front war with Pakistan and China.Vice-Chief of IAF Air Marshal BS Dhanoa said at a press conference: “Our numbers are not adequate to fully execute an air campaign in a two-front scenario. Probability of a two-front scenario is an appreciation that you need to do. But, are the numbers adequate? No. The squadrons are winding down.”He was asked if the IAF had the capability to fight a two-front war. “We have conveyed our concerns to the government (which) is seized of the problem,” said the IAF Vice-Chief, a Kargil war veteran.The IAF is now at its lowest combat strength in more than a decade. The Tribune was the first to report this in its February 25 edition. The IAF has informed the government of the gravity of the situation.Three squadrons of the vintage single-engine Soviet Union origin MiG-21 and MiG-27 have been phased out as on January 1 this year, leaving the IAF with only 33 squadrons (16-18 planes in each).This is nine short of the government-mandated 42 squadrons needed to tackle a simultaneous two-front war with China and Pakistan.Of the 33 squadrons, the vintage MiG-21 and MiG-27 aircraft form 11 squadrons. The Sukhoi 30-MKI populates 11 squadron, British Jaguar of 1970s is in six squadrons followed by French Mirage 2000 and Soviet Union’s MiG-29 in two and three squadrons, respectively. The last three are being upgraded with better missiles and avionics.The country is now facing the reality of projections on IAF fighter fleet made separately over the past 10 years by the Indian Air Force, strategic thinkers, successive reports of Parliamentary Committees on Defence and the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).Warnings on the “lackadaisical pace” of induction of new fighter jets into the Indian Air Force and the resultant loss of “combative edge” in battle were now ringing true, sources said.