The final session of the roundtable summarized the state of Indian air power and discussed ways to alleviate the difficult situation the air force could find itself in future.
The roundtable moved on to discuss the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program, the DRDO development of a new fighter to be produced by HAL, and raised serious concerns on the impact of it’s possible failure.
The discussion moved to the IAF’s tender for acquisition of 126 Medium Multi Role Combat aircraft with the question being: How does MMRCA fit future air power needs, costs, squadron strength?
In the next round, the roundtable discussed the balance of air power in India’s neighborhood and the challenges posed by the air forces of Pakistan and China.
In the second session, moderator Inderjit Badhwar initiated the discussion deconstructing the evolution and process of the Indian Air Force (IAF) competition for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA).
Pushpinder Singh, Editor of Vayu, introduces the state of Indian air power in comparison to neighboring countries and presents some stark realities in an authoritative presentation, which is essential viewing.