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Economic Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Would you fly a jet with Chinese chips? Veterans say no to Russia's Su‑57, push for India's AMCA instead
India's fighter jet debate has split top Air Force veterans. One side backs Russia's Su‑57E offer with promises of full technology transfer. The other says importing any fifth‑generation jet risks national security and undermines self‑reliance. Ajay Ahlawat and RKS Bhadauria want India to put all weight behind the homegrown AMCA, now under design. With Pakistan eyeing Chinese stealth jets, the choice is stark: build at home or depend on foreign vendors. The stakes are clear. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Call for direct oversight Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A different view Former chief says no Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Stronger defences the answer Where AMCA stands now Former Air Force officer Ajay Ahlawat has sounded a clear warning. He believes India must reject the lure of imported fifth‑generation fighters and put every resource into building its own stealth jet, the AMCA "It would be best if we eliminate the option to import FGFA ( Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft ). We have two bad choices. F‑35 comes with strings attached. US can not be trusted to steer a predictable foreign policy. Su57 is not really a FGFA. Moreover, a large part of electronics, avionics components and chips etc are sourced from China. Imagine being in a shooting war with your equipment vendor," Ahlawat wrote on words land at a time when Russia has made a tempting pitch: co‑produce the Su‑57E with complete technology wants more than just a rejection of imports. He wants the AMCA declared a national mission, personally monitored from the top."AMCA is the only viable option. Bring the program under PMO. Call it a mission of national importance. Nominate one IAF 3‑star as program head, reporting to NSA. All agencies under," he his view, India must break free from foreign dependency if it wants real air not everyone agrees. Former Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor sees strategic merit in Russia's plan. He thinks India should grab the chance while President Putin is set to visit."Just before Putin's visit on Thursday, Russia proposed a game changer offer for us, full tech transfer for co‑production of the Su‑57E at HAL Nashik (site of 220+ Su‑30MKI builds) plus direct delivery of Su‑35M jets in India's MRFA tender for 117 fighters. The dual offer promises deep localisation, source code access, it is a strategic boost for India's ' Make in India ' and our air power ambitions ," Kapoor said on him, Russian cooperation means faster firepower with local jobs and know‑ Ahlawat's view, former Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria stays firm. No shortcuts, no imported jets. He says India must stick with its plan to finish the AMCA, no matter how long it takes."My answer is no. Now, the government has clearly put their faith in AMCA, and now we need to do everything as a nation to expedite the AMCA," Bhadauria spoke against panic buys, especially since Pakistan is expected to get Chinese J‑20 or J‑35 jets."That cause of concern in terms of what Pakistan is going to get from China in the interim – be it J20 or J‑35 – let them get these. That will be studied. What is important is in the interim how do you handle these threats and there are ways and means of tackling this threat that they will have,' he stressed that India's answer lies in tougher air defences, not shopping abroad."We have already demonstrated our capabilities in the air defence zones… in air‑to‑ground precision zones in terms of standoff. So therefore we'll need to have an action plan to be able to sort this out and I think that's the way to go," he accepts that Pakistan may fly stealth jets before India. But he believes that does not have to tilt the balance."In terms of stealth capability Pakistan is likely to get before us, we'll have to take some other measures in order to be able to detect by some means, to be able to still hold them off our borders much inside so that they are unable to launch. And should they be able to launch their cruise missiles or their standoff weapons, we are able to tackle the weapons," Bhadauria AMCA, short for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, is India's first attempt to build a fifth‑generation stealth fighter on its own. DRDO, HAL and private firms are working together. The project is now in the detailed design stage. The first flying prototype is likely by the end of this stake is more than just an aircraft. The real test is whether India can build what it needs without outside help. If it works, the AMCA could close the stealth gap with rivals and cut foreign ties that come with hidden next few months will show which path India picks: build at home or buy from abroad. The debate has begun.
India Today
30-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Political face-off over Waqf Act ahead of Bihar polls, Ex-Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria exclusive
The Waqf Act has become a major point of contention ahead of the Bihar assembly elections. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav promised to throw the act 'in the dustbin' if his party comes to power. The BJP accused the opposition of Muslim appeasement and choosing 'Sharia over Samvidhan'. The debate has reignited discussions on minority rights, constitutional provisions and electoral strategies in Bihar. A seminar on air power in Indonesia has sparked controversy in India after comments by the naval attache about losses during Operation Sindoor. The Indian embassy clarified that the remarks were taken out of context. Congress has demanded transparency on aircraft losses. So, watch as Former Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria shares his views on India's Naval attache's remarks on Operation Sindoor and discusses air power strategy and rules of engagement in counter-terror operations.
India Today
28-05-2025
- General
- India Today
Satellite images show how Indian airstrikes damaged Pakistan's airbases in Op Sindoor
India Today has accessed exclusive satellite images showing the extent of damage caused to Pakistan's airbases during Operation Sindoor. The images reveal precision strikes on key facilities including Bholari, Murid, and Nur Khan airbases. Former Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria analyses the structural damage, loss of assets, and strategic impact of these strikes. The operation's success in targeting air defence networks and command centres is highlighted, along with its role in Pakistan's subsequent ceasefire request.
NDTV
27-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Ex-IAF Chief On India's Stealth Fighter Jet Plan And China-Pak Axis
New Delhi: India has taken a step forward in the direction of building an indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, an ambitious project aimed at bolstering the Indian Air Force's air power capability. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the "execution model" for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) that will be developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in cooperation with industry partners. Former IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd.), spoke to NDTV, explaining the significance of AMCA, against the backdrop of increased focus on bolstering air power, especially after Operation Sindoor, when Indian fighter jets, drones struck terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir to avenge the Pahalgam attack. The Centre's move highlights a paradigm shift in India's approach to building fighter jets from state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to allowing private firms to bid for a chance to build prototypes. Ex-IAF Chief On Public-Private Partnership "I have seen this development today with great interest, and there was a lot of debate on this issue on AMCA in terms of participation of the private sector along with the a huge leap of faith in terms of what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has demonstrated their faith in the private sector to be able to take up such kind of project. And this is the top-end project that the industry is going to handle," ACM RKS Bhadauria said. The former IAF chief said he sees this as an opportunity for the private sector to come up and demonstrate their ability to deliver. The AMCA will feature advanced stealth coatings, internal weapons bays similar to the Su-57, F-22 and the F-35, a fighter jet the US symbolically opened for sale to India earlier this year. AMCA will use AI, Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) - A Combination of manned fighter jets and drones for missions, next-generation AESA radars. For the first time, a 1:1 scale model of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) was on display at the India Pavilion of the Aero India 2025 air show in February this year. The AMCA will be a single-seater, twin-engine fifth-generation fighter jet. In March last year, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the project to design and develop AMCA. The mass production of the aircraft is expected to begin by 2035, and at least 120 aircraft are expected to be delivered. The Centre said the "Approach provides equal opportunities to both private and public sectors on a competitive basis. They can bid either independently or as joint venture or as consortia. The entity/bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country." No private company in India has led the development and manufacturing of a fighter aircraft. The state-run HAL has built helicopters and the LCA Tejas fighter jet. However, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) is the only private company that is involved in the manufacturing and assembly of a defence aircraft - the Airbus C295 transport aircraft in India. Operation Sindoor And China-Pakistan Axis The decision comes against the backdrop of increased focus on bolstering air power, especially after Operation Sindoor when Indian fighter jets and drones struck terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK on May 7, followed by an aerial engagement involving drones, missiles, rockets from Pakistan to target Indian military bases and cities and India's multi-layered air defence system thwarting all attempts from Pakistan. China has been supporting Pakistan with fighter jets. The Chinese J-10 and JF-17 4th-generation fighter jets were used by Pakistan during the 100-hour battle, along with air defence systems like HQ-9 and HQ-17, air-to-air beyond visual range PL-15 missiles and Chinese Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS). China is reportedly expediting its sale of the J-35 5th-generation stealth fighter to Pakistan, which could tilt the balance of air power in the subcontinent. Also read: To a question on whether lessons from Operation Sindoor had something to do with the decision on AMCA, the former air chief said, "A lot of discussion on this matter had been going on to the best of my knowledge. The fact that this announcement was not made doesn't mean that in the last year, after the AMCA project was cleared, no work has happened. ADA has been fully into it in terms of design and development work that needed to go on. But this decision was important." ACM Bhadauria said, "What China has done and what Operation Sindoor has changed in terms of how we look at standoff capability in terms of survivability in a contested environment." He added that the decision on the announcement is linked, and the government is indicating how serious it is to "energise the indigenous ecosystem in defence production and has indicated a show of faith in the system." Stealth Fighters In A Contested Space China conducted test flights of its two 6th-generation fighter jets last year, and its support for Pakistan with the J-35 can change a contested battle space, similar to what the world saw during Operation Sindoor. The former IAF chief gave his take on the deployment of stealth fighters in an engagement like Operation Sindoor and said, "The moment you have the kind of contested environment that we have and Pakistan having the latest in terms of from sensors, to survivability, stealth is at the center stage in terms of any aircraft that is going to take part in combat or offensive operations. Stealth is important to delay detection and be able to do the missions in very hostile environments. That's the best bet to have a real stealth aircraft." In a changing airspace where close combat has largely moved toward the use of long-range BVR missiles, increasing the distance from 300 metres of close combat many decades ago to over 200 kilometres to striking targets. ACM Bhadauria explained the change and said, "What we trained on and what we started with was close combat, attacking targets from close, doing air-to-ground from close. And thereafter, the sensors, the weapons and the distances just kept increasing. I think a huge responsibility today for the pilots in the cockpit is to be updated and be technologically a networked environment, to handle data from weapons, sensors and data not only coming from the ground, in future from satellites, everything is going to be fed to the terms of his capability and what he is expected to do is a huge change."
India Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
‘Just a trailer': Ex-Air Chief Marshal on India's strikes in Pak terror camps
India's Operation Sindoor, which began by targeting terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and later inflicted severe damage on Pakistani military infrastructure following Islamabad's escalation, was just a trailer of what the country is capable of, retired Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said.'This was just a trailer of what we can actually do. Our actual response would have been multiple' times stronger, he said in an exclusive conversation with India Today India's precision strikes on critical Pakistani air bases, including Sargodha, Nur Khan, and Chunian, he stressed that every single target identified in the operation was successfully hit. 'Important point to consider and for people to know that every single target that was attempted has been achieved. So see the success rate against an adversary who was fully prepared and expecting. And this is just an indication of what would have happened if they had not stepped back,' he said. According to Bhadauria, the targets hit by India nearly 'completed the chain of critical assets' of the Pakistan Army. He noted that only Karachi remained, and the Navy was fully prepared to take that step.'It was spread out, the number of targets reduced, but a clear message across, and only the Karachi area was left where the Navy was very strongly poised. And it is just a measure of restraint shown. Otherwise, if it had kind of continued for the next night, I wouldn't have been surprised at all if Karachi was hit badly,' he the outcome of Operation Sindoor, he stressed, 'we should not have any element of doubt that as far as Operation Sindoor is concerned. It's a huge success. It is not only a success, it is an immense success'.Tune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#India-Pakistan#Pakistan
