Guest Column | Through the Looking Glass

Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (retd)

It will be appropriate to mention the writings of 19th century Prussian general and military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, who suggested that war consists of a trinity – the people, government and armed forces. War comprises and balances between creative forces (symbolised by the armed forces action), rational forces (symbolised by the government) and emotional forces (symbolised by the people). Essentially, it means that the armed forces are separable from the people (who do not take part in fighting) and from the government, which leads the war. Obviously, Clausewitz’s analysis was influenced by the military and political context in which he lived. Now we are into the 21st century, and this doesn’t hold true anymore.

Civilians were usually absent from theatre or the battlefield either because the battle occurred in relatively unpopulated area or they fled the area before the onset of war. Today, this linearity has diminished severely. Now, the civilians and civilian objectives intermingle with military objectives.

The valid targets which could not feasibly be struck in the past have now become vulnerable. The universe of strikeable targets multiplies and so does the potential of collateral damage and incidental injury while still achieving military objectives.

MiG-29K taking off from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya

While addressing the Combined Commanders Conference in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Beyond the immediate, we are facing a future where security challenges will be less predictable; situations will evolve and change swiftly; technological changes will make response more difficult to keep pace with. Threats may be known but the enemy may be invisible.” He further said, “Full scale war may become rare, but force will remain an instrument of deterrence influencing behaviour and the duration of conflicts will be shorter”.

Effectively, to handle today’s changed nature of warfare, comprehensive national power will have to be brought to achieve political objectives in the short time-frame that would be available. While doing so, nations will ensure least collateral damage and incidental injury since military and civilian objectives will be difficult to discern; media will control dissemination and regulate public reaction. Clearly, precision engagements will underline military tactics and strategy which highlights the centrality of air power. It will consist of several systems of systems that enable military forces to locate the objectives or targets, provide responsive command and control, generate the desired effect, asses the level of success, and retain flexibility to re-engage with the precision required. It is in this context that the maritime arm of the national air power has gained significance in the present decade while the land-based air power has had a much longer wait towards sharpening their teeth. The Indian Air Force (IAF), which is celebrating its anniversary, deserves credit for being the alma mater of all varieties of military aviation in India. This article is a tribute to the alma mater of aviation from one of their frontiers: Maritime.

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We are a little over halfway in the decade, it is still counting. Induction of Tejas in light combat role, additional Su-0 MKIs, delivery of C-17/ C-130 strategic transport aircraft, Mi-17V E and Pilatus basic training aircraft are but some important additions. The contract for acquisition of Rafale MMRCA has also been signed. The deliberation on manufacturing of advanced fighters under ‘Make in India’ drive is also in progress. In the absence of newer inductions, the IAF has done the country proud by innovating new avenues of application of air power; landing of Su-30 aircraft closer to the Northeastern and Northern borders, demonstrating ability of strategic air lift up to DBO, supporting fighter operations outside the country and carrying out large number of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and maintaining highest levels of surveillance and response mechanisms in turbulent atmosphere around us.

Maritime air power has undergone historic transition in the present decade. There has been fundamental change in the philosophy of maritime patrol, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare processes and carrier borne fighter operations. During the remaining 40 per cent of the decade, prospects of strengthening anti-submarine rotary wing fleet, increasing surveillance bubble in the Indian Ocean by addition of more long range and medium range maritime patrol aircraft, utility and multi-role helicopters, drones and commissioning of the first indigenous aircraft carrier are very encouraging. We examine these fundamental shifts in concept and philosophies.

LRMR and ASW
Since 1976, the IAF relinquished the role of long range maritime patrol task to the navy by transferring the Super Constellation aircraft. This was first time the navy operated four-engine long endurance aircraft. It was a new experience for the crew to fly long hours, and, from an air station, maintaining alertness on the radar and visual watch, transfer data information manually to Maritime Operation Centre, criss-cross number of Flight Information Region (FIR) boundaries, operate close to open airspace of neighbouring countries and in the process get intercepted by advanced fighter aircraft mainly o