Indian air force chief says 40 new fighters needed annually
It will be some time – if ever – before the air force achieves its aspiration of 42.5 squadrons.
India’s air force needs 40 new fighters annually if it is to meet its aspirational target of 42.5 squadrons, but production math makes this target challenging.
The air force’s current strength stands at 29 squadrons, well below the sanctioned strength of 42.5, according to Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, speaking at the 94th anniversary event for India’s air force.
Should deliveries of GE Aerospace F404 engines pick up to 20 annually – only ten are due this year – he anticipates that deliveries of the Hindustan Aeronautics Tejas Mk1A Light Combat Aircraft could eventually hit about 20 annually, with jets produced both in Bengaluru and Nashik.
The Indian air force has orders for 180 of the domestically produced Tejas Mk1A. At the Farnborough air show in July, HAL chairman and managing director Ravi K said that executing this programme is a key priority, but that a lack of F404s was holding things back.
Singh also addressed the long-awaited Multi-Role Combat Aircraft programme for 114 Dassault Rafale fighters, for which negotiations are underway following the Defense Acquisition Council’s blessing for the deal in February.
“If the MRCA contract goes through, we will get about 12 aircraft per year from this contract,” he says.
He also touched on rival Pakistan’s potential acquisition of fifth-generation fighter aircraft from China.
“This is a cause for worry, no doubt,” says Singh. “But is it a total no-go situation? I will not agree with that. We do have capabilities …it is not one platform that matters so much, it is the integration of that platform in your whole system. We should be able to ward off this threat for the time being, I will say until they integrate it into their system very well.”
In June 2025, Pakistani leader Shehbaz Sharif posted that the country had received an offer for 40 AVIC/Shenyang J-35s – likely the land-based J-35A variant – which would make it the first international customer for the twin-engined stealth type.
In his remarks, Singh indicates that the air force is fully behind India’s developmental fifth-generation AMCA – Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. Local media reports, however, have indicated that New Delhi could consider an international stealth aircraft should AMCA face further delays.
Singh also touched on India’s plan to obtain up to 60 tactical transports under its Medium Transport Aircraft requirement, which sees the Embraer C-390 tactical transport pitched against the Lockheed Martin C-130J.
India issued a request for proposals for the requirement on 12 August.
He did not indicate the timeframe for the deal but reiterated that most of the aircraft will be produced in India. In July, Lockheed told FlightGlobal that the first 12 aircraft would be delivered in a “flyaway status”, with 48 to be produced locally. Competing for the deal, both contenders have promoted their local production capabilities.
He adds that the air force is “already very happy” with it acquisition of 56 Airbus C295s, of which 16 were delivered from Seville, with following aircraft being produced in Gujarat city of Vadodara. The first Indian-made C295 had its maiden flight in June.
The post Indian air force chief says 40 new fighters needed annually first appeared on FlightGlobal.
Source: www.flightglobal.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.