For India to achieve greater self-reliance, it is essential to broaden the concept of 'air power' to include a country's ability to design, develop, and manufacture aircraft and critical components
Imports have been the mainstay of India’s defence modernisation. In the aerial domain, with the exception of a few platforms like the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), most aerial platforms operated by the Indian defence forces (including Army, and Navy naval aviation wings) are procured from the international market.
This article argues that to address and remedy the situation and achieve greater self-reliance in defence modernisation, it is important to re-conceptualise our current understanding of ‘air power’. Currently, air power is understood in terms of ‘capability’ and is largely limited to bean-counting aerial platforms like fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, employment of air power, and the destruction of the adversary. This, however, limits our understanding of air power. The essay argues that a country’s capacity to design and manufacture aircraft, and critical components and technologies like engines, sensors, materials, etc. are important elements that need to be factored in to holistically assess a country’s ‘air power’.
Air power is understood in terms of ‘capability’ and is largely limited to bean-counting aerial platforms like fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, employment of air power, and the destruction of the adversary.
Airpower has been a decisive factor in modern warfare since its first use in 1911 during the war in Tripoli, fought between Italy and the Ottoman Empire. Air power and aerial weapons platforms played an extensive role, especially during the Second World War. All wars fought after the Second World War have demonstrated the lethality of air power over all the other means of warfare due to their speed, range, and versatility. Over time, aircraft technology has changed and evolved with technological advancements in material technology, engine capabilities and design, electronics, computing, and simulations. These advancements have drastically enlarged the scope and efficacy of air power.
The theorisation of air power commenced with the publication of the book Command of the Book by Giulio Douhet, an Italian theorist in 1921. Along with Douhet, many other scholars such as Hugh Trenchard, Billy Mitchell, John Slessor, and Alexander P. de Seversky produced ample literature on air power, drawing from the expertise and experience gained through their active military service. Nevertheless, Giulio Douhet and Alexander de Seversky are the only two classical air power theorists who have emphasised the need for developing a domestic aerospace industry and stressed the significance of research and development in the aerospace sector. Both Douhet and Seversky highlight the importance of a strong and vibrant scientific and industrial base for the successful projection of air power.
Giulio Douhet and Alexander de Seversky are the only two classical air power theorists who have emphasised the need for developing a domestic aerospace industry and stressed the significance of research and development in the aerospace sector.
Giulio Douhet was ahead of his contemporaries since he emphasised the role of industry in the country’s air power. Douhet underlined the strong and symbiotic relationship between the Air Force and the aviation industry. Further, he argued that the government must fund research and development of the aircraft and their high-performance engines as it is prohibitively costly, involves high and complex technologies, and has long gestation periods. Similarly, the Russian-American air power theorist, Alexander de Seversky also emphasised the significance of a vibrant scientific and industrial base for an inclusive projection of the country’s air power.
As espoused by classical air power theorists, the traditional understanding of air power comprises three components: Army aviation, naval aviation, and air force. However, this is not a comprehensive representation of a country’s ‘air power’. In modern-day warfare, the space and civil aviation industry has emerged as a crucial element of air power. In addition, the domestic aerospace industry and research and development capabilities have emerged as important elements of the country’s air power, which are essential to furthering the country’s self-reliance in developing and manufacturing aircraft to meet its defence needs.
The Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) doctrines are an authoritative account of the country’s views on air power. Like other services, the IAF too has revised and updated its doctrines from time to time. The IAF doctrine was released for the first time in 1995 and was subsequently updated and released in 2007, 2012, and 2022. The 1995 and 2007 versions of the doctrine are not available in the public domain. However, the IAF publicly released the 2012 and 2022 versions of its doctrine.
An analysis of the 2012 and 2022 versions of the IAF’s doctrines highlights similarities between the IAF’s existing conceptual understanding of air power and classical Western thinking on air power. The documents have described the various military-centric and non-military roles that the IAF has to undertake. For instance, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) is a primary non-military-centric role, whereas military-centric roles such as ground attack, air defence, airlifting, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations. However, the IAF doctrines have also focused on other elements of air power such as the space domain and civil aviation. In sum, the 2012 and 2022 versions of the IAF are largely steeped in the classical understanding of air power, which has limited their conceptualisation of air power to counting the number and prowess of the IAF’s aerial platforms.
This is particularly surprising given the fact that the large majority of the IAF’s fleet, be it basic trainers, large-size strategic transport aircraft, weapon packages, and associate systems are all of foreign origin. While some of these systems have been purchased in government-to-government deals to mee immediate operational requirements, others have been manufactured under licensed production.
The concept of ‘air power’ will remain incomplete and limited unless it includes the country’s capability and capacity to design, develop, and manufacture civilian and military aircraft, and critical components like engines, sensors, and materials.
Despite this, the 2012 and 2022 doctrines of the Indian Air Force do not stress on building up domestic capability and capacity in aircraft development and manufacturing. The IAF Doctrine 2022 devotes a single line (pg.18) to indicating the IAF’s commitment to self-reliance. The doctrine states, “To foster and contribute towards enabling the required degree of self-sufficiency in the aerospace industry and aerospace technology through indigenisation to achieve the desired degree of technological independence.” Thus, part of the challenge to build up and sustain significant capabilities in self-reliance in aircraft design, development, and manufacturing is the crying need to modify the existing limited understanding of air power. This is currently stymied by the dominant and popular understanding of air power that is steeped in the Western classical understanding.
In conclusion, there is a need to re-conceptualise and essentially widen the concept of ‘air power’ and move beyond the limited focus on the quantity of aircraft, deployment strategy, and attaining air supremacy. The concept of ‘air power’ will remain incomplete and limited unless it includes the country’s capability and capacity to design, develop, and manufacture civilian and military aircraft, and critical components like engines, sensors, and materials. Only a wider and more comprehensive understanding will project the true picture of the country’s actual prowess as an ‘air power’.
Rahul Manohar Yelwe is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Security Studies, Central University of Gujarat.
Arun Vishwanathan is Professor in the Department of Security Studies, School of National Security Studies at Central University of Gujarat.
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Rahul Manohar Yelwe is presently doctoral candidate at Department of Security studies, School of National Security Studies, Central University of Gujarat. He is a recipient ...
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Professor Arun Vishwanathan is Professor & Head, Department of Security Studies, School of National Security Studies, Central University of Gujarat. Earlier he taught at Dept. ...
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