New Delhi: The Indian Army showed its might during Operation Sindoor, earning global recognition. The terror state Pakistan was shown its place during this three-day-long operation, with Indian armed forces inflicting severe damages.
However, the operation also revealed certain shortcomings, and India has already begun addressing the areas that require improvement. The Indian armed forces are currently undergoing rapid modernization with the government extending its full support.
According to the reports, all three branches of India’s military (Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force) are simultaneously working on modernization across various fronts, and the most critical among them is the modernization of the Air Force.
Currently, the Indian Air Force is reportedly witnessing a severe shortage of fighter jets. While 42 squadrons of fighter jets are officially sanctioned for the Air Force, only 31 are currently operational. Of those, two squadrons of MiG-21s are set to retire in the coming days. This means India’s operational fighter jet strength will shrink to just 29 squadrons.
Each squadron typically consists of around 18 aircraft, which would leave India with only about 522 fighter jets. Compared to the sanctioned strength, this marks a shortfall of 13 squadrons-or 234 fighter jets.
India’s Enemies and Their Strength:
India never had a cordial relationship with Pakistan and China. Both these countries have always been against us and share a deep strategic friendship. Together, they have formed an alliance against India. This combined partnership significantly amplifies their strength-making them a much more formidable threat when united.
China:
- China has a total of 66 squadrons
- It possesses around 1,188 fighter aircraft.
- Some of its squadrons even have 20 jets, so roughly, China has about 1,200 fighter aircraft.
- This is more than double the number of India’s total fighter jets.
Pakistan:
- The Pakistan Air Force has 25 fighter squadrons, which means it has around 450 fighter jets.
- If we combine the numbers from both China and Pakistan, the total comes to approximately 1,650 fighter aircraft.
India’s Biggest Concern:
India is currently facing a shortage of fighter jets. Recently, the Air Force Chief has stated that India is struggling with a lack of fighter jets. India has been trying to build its own fighter jets for a long time. The foundation for the Tejas project was laid in 1984, but to this day, the project has not been fully successful.
The World of 5th-Gen Fighter Jets
The United States, Russia, and China already possess fifth-generation fighter jets. However, India is still relying on fourth and 4.5-generation fighter jets. China has even talked about supplying its fifth-generation J-20 fighter jets to Pakistan. This means that both of India’s hostile neighboring countries are equipped with fifth-generation fighter jets.
India Needs Around Rs 4.68 Lakh Crore
- India last purchased 36 Rafale jets-classified as 4.5-generation fighter aircraft-from France.
- The deal was signed in September 2016.
- The cost of a single aircraft came to around ₹1,600 crore, according to the reports.
- If this rate is taken as the base, then as of today, acquiring Rafale or more advanced jets would cost no less than ₹2,000 crore per aircraft.
- India currently needs 234 fighter jets.
- Based on this rate, the total cost would amount to approximately ₹4.68 lakh crore.