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Subject:
IAF chief accepts PAF superiority
chupooey
10/1/2006 4:11:11 AM
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| MUMBAI: A crisis has been brewing in the Indian Air Force and it's about to blow up in the face of the government. The Indian Air Force (IAF) top brass has informed the Union Government that if corrective measures are not taken immediately, India will lose its air superiority over Pakistan.
"Unless immediate steps are taken to arrest the reduction in Indian Air Force's force levels, the nation will for the first time in its history, lose the conventional military edge over Pakistan."
This is a what the three-page letter of warning, written by Air Chief Marshall Tyagi to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, says.
A copy of the letter, which has raised serious concerns over the declining combat force level of the IAF, is available with CNN-IBN.
In his letter, the Air Chief Marshall writes, "Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is being beefed up with 44 F16s from America. They have a clearly defined goal of attaining parity with the IAF. With China supplying J 10 and JF 17 aircraft (fitted with Russian engines), PAF force levels of combat squadron will increase."
"Unless steps are taken to move ahead with procurement, the IAF's combat strength will deplete to a level, which would entirely neutralise the conventional superiority held by IAF since our Independence. PAF will have 19 to 26 squadrons by 2011-12, while the IAF could reduce to 26.5 by 2015."
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