Mihir Paul

Amidst the massive controversy surrounding the Rafale acquisition deal, by default, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has come under the spotlight, and with it, its concerns of a depleting squadron strength and piqued public interest regarding the nitty-gritties of defence acquisition procedure.

IAF airmen performing rifle drills at the Air Force Day parade

Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B. S. Dhanoa reiterated that the IAF’s depleting squadron strength was a major concern in the context of the Rafale deal while answering questions at an annual press conference held on October 3 prior to the 86^th Air Force Day celebrations.

Most of the questions ACM Dhanoa answered at the press conference were about bringing clarity to the discourse surrounding the Rafale deal. When asked about the reduced number of Rafales in the revised deal, ACM Dhanoa said that the IAF “had been consulted at the appropriate level” and that it was decided to buy two squadrons through a government to government deal, to meet emergency requirements. Elaborating on this, ACM Dhanoa said, “We had reached an impasse (in the MMRCA negotiations). We had only three options: wait and hope for the best, withdraw the Request for Proposal (RFP) and start over again or do an emergency purchase”. Justifying the ‘emergency’ purchase, ACM Dhanoa added, “If we didn’t go forward, we would have gone back six years. We had to address the problem of attrition in the air force.” This isn’t the first time the IAF has procured only two squadrons. The IAF procured only two squadrons of MiG-23, Mirage 2000, and MiG-29 when there was no domestic licensed manufacturer of those aircraft.

ACM Dhanoa further said that getting the 36 Rafales was a ‘bold step’ by the government. The new Rafales, he emphasised, would greatly enhance operational capabilities. De