On the surface, it seems that Indian Air Force is very large in scale. They have a total of nearly 140,000 active-duty soldiers and more than 1,700 combat aircraft of various types. In addition, the Indian Air Force's fourth-generation fighter fleet ranks fourth in the world, among which the total number of Su-30MKI multi-purpose fighter jets imported from Russia alone exceeded 260.
(Indian Army Rafale )
In addition, the Indian Air Force has continued to expand its fleet in recent years. For example, in January 2016, India ordered 36 Rafale fighter from France's Dassault, with a total cost of nearly US$9 billion. The Indian Air Force also has 59 mig 29 fighter , 18 glorious fighter , 112 old migrator 21 fighter , and an unknown number of miracle 2000 fighter , (presumably more than 40), and finally 106 "jaguar" attack aircraft . This fleet size seems to be nothing if it is placed in the "East Asian Monster House", but if you only look at the paper data, it will be ranked in the world.
(Indian Air Force "Java" attack aircraft)
However, it is not difficult to see from the Indian Air Force's equipment list that old and outdated aircraft account for a very high proportion. For example, the total scale of MiG21 fighter jets and "Java" attack aircraft combined has reached as many as 218. The MiG29 fighter is also very unsuitable for modern air combat due to its short range and backward avionics equipment. For this reason, the Indian Air Force has planned to retire fighter jets as a large number. On the eve of this year's Indian Air Force Day, General Choudhury, Chief of Staff of the Indian Air Force, said at the annual press conference that the upgraded Mirage 2000 fighter, MiG29 fighter, MiG21 fighter and Jaguar attack aircraft will be eliminated by the mid-next decade.
(Mig-21 deployed with the Indian Air Force A-50EI early warning aircraft)
Indian Air Force will first use the old and outdated MiG-21 fighter to operate. Currently, there are three MiG21 fighter squadrons in the Indian Air Force, all of which will be retired by 2025; next are six Jaguar Attack Plane Squadrons, which will be retired between 2031 and 2032; during the same period, the Mirage 2000 and MiG29 fighters will also be eliminated in batches, and the entire retirement work will be completed within 15 years.
(Indian Air Force LCA fighter)
However, this move also caused great concerns within India. According to the standards set by the Indian Air Force itself, if the minimum combat capability is to be met, it is necessary to have 42 fighter squadrons full of staff, but at present, only 31 squadrons are left in the Indian Air Force. As more and more old-fashioned fighter jets are retired in the future, the size of the fighter jet squadrons they own will be further reduced. Even if the Indian Air Force's fighter jet procurement plan does not make any mistakes or there is no time to delay, they can only have 35 squadrons between 2035 and 2036 at most.
(Su 30MKI fighter)
At present, India is still working hard to promote the localization of military equipment. This move is undoubtedly good news for the long-term development of India's local military industry, but the Indian Air Force may have to tighten its belt for a long time to live. Admiral Choudhury, chief of staff of the Indian Air Force, said that the Indian Air Force has ordered 83 domestically produced "Glorious" MK-1A fighter jets and plans to order "Glorious" MK-2 fighter jets.
(Guanghui LCA fighter)
Choudhury also mentioned that "India's domestic fifth-generation fighter is still in the R&D stage." However, anyone who has a little understanding of the development of India's military industry should know how difficult it is for India to complete the production and R&D of these fighters. As we have mentioned earlier, even in the most perfect situation, they can only have 35 fighter squadrons in 15 years. However, it is difficult for India to achieve this so-called "perfect situation".
(Indian Airlines Factory)
It is also worth mentioning that since India's basic industry is too weak, it is simply a fantasy to develop a strong military industry in a short period of time. In the end, it is just a more advanced solution integrator. In this regard, India, a huge country with a population of nearly 1.4 billion, is even far behind South Korea, which has only 90,000 square kilometers of territory and 50 million people.
