Even at a full strength of 42 squadrons, the air force will not match the combined strength of China and Pakistan, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said on Wednesday stressing the need to enhance air capabilities.
The Indian Air Force is facing a depleting fleet and the fighter squadrons are down to 31. Each squadron has 18 fighter aircraft.
"Even with 42 squadrons we will be below the combined strength of Pakistan and China," Dhanoa said speaking at a seminar on IAF's force structure 2035, as he talked in favour of the Rafale deal.
He said the 36 Rafale aircraft that the government plans to buy from France and the Russian S-400 missile systems will enhance India's military capabilities.
Backing the Rafale deal, he said that inter-government agreement for buying the fighter jets citing an emergency not a first. Citing two past instances in the 1980s, he said two squadrons of MIG 29 and two of Mirage fighter jets had been bought under the same umbrella of inter-government agreement to meet demands of an emergency.
Dhanoa added that India's adversaries Pakistan and China are not sitting idle. "We have to match the force capabilities of our adversaries." He said Indian Air Force is operating in a unique environment with two nuclear armed neighbours.
The Chinese Air Force has been increasing is deployment in Tibet Autonomous Region with a year-round capability, including the winter months.
A full squadron strength of 42 will allow the Air Force to strike within hours in case of an emergency. But with limited number of fighter jets, shifting focus from Pakistan to China will take close to 48 hours in case of a two-front war situation, recent assessments based on Air Force's Gagan Shakti exercise indicated.
NEED FOR SPEED
42
squadrons that IAF must have
31
squadrons with the force now
36
Rafale jets India plans to buy from France
(Each IAF squadron has 18 fighter jets)
