Defence from the Skies Indian Air Force Through 75 Years

If the Dakota transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) flying from Delhi with troops of the Indian Army had not landed at Srinagar on the morning of October 27, 1947, the history and geography of the subcontinent may well have been different! Or if the four Hunter fighters had not destroyed the bulk of Pakistani tanks at Longewala in 1971, the road to Jaisalmer for their armour thrust was wide open. The history of the Indian Air Force over the past 75 years is replete with such incidents and actions which had seminal implications for the country's defence. The list of such historical landmarks in the history of our defence from the defence of Imphal in 1944 to Kargil is long. Air forces are unique in the sense that they are the only national military institution exclusively devoted to military operations in the aerospace continuum. The Indian Air Force is no different. But its operations take place away and beyond the optical horizons of even the army jawans, leave alone the civilians. The mind pays less attention to what the eyes don't see - out of sight, out of mind is so true about the functioning of air forces. But their dominant role in modern warfare, the high costs of aerospace power, and a host of other factors demand closer attention to their role in modern defence and the protection of national interests in pursuit of our foreign policy. Air forces don't win wars by themselves; and no one in the Indian Air Force has ever claimed it. But no war can be won without them. We learnt that seminal lesson the hard way when we did not use the potent force of lAF's combat fleet in the Sino-India War of 1962 since the decision-makers at the very top did not understand air power and its role in national defence. And 37 years later it still took some vacillation in the summer of 99 before the air force was allowed to reduce the enemy's ability to fight and make the task of our army that much easier during the Kargil War. The air force has the unique capability to shape and influence operations on land and sea; and this makes it the dominant force in national defence. Land and naval forces, vital to national defence for a variety of reasons, cannot interfere with air operations except at the edges when they are able to employ some elements of air power in extension of land and maritime operations. It is from this perspective that this study - or rather an interpretative essay reflecting on the significant issues and events of the past 75 years - approaches the challenges the Indian Air Force faces in the coming decades. IAF combat forces levels have slumped while its commitments are growing rapidly in consonance with our expanding economic and political interests well beyond our territorial boundaries. The author, a leading expert in national defence, brings his vast experience and knowledge of air operations in peace and war to suggest some guidelines in this volume for the future defence of India from the skies.