Indian Air Force

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  • Vivek Singh asked: How is the future of Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA)? Is there a possibility of it being merged with some other department?

    Kishore Kumar Khera replies:: The Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) under Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence (MoD) is the regulatory authority for Quality Assurance (QA) and final acceptance of military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aero engines, airborne systems, avionics, armaments, consumables, allied ground systems and missiles during design & development, production, repair, modification and overhaul at various defence public sector undert

    Sayan Chowdhury asked: As PAF doctrine primarily relies upon large force engagement (LFE) in small area battlespace – visible in February 2019 Op Swift Retort – what doctrinal change should IAF make?

    Kishore Kumar Khera replies: Operation Swift Retort does not indicate any doctrinal assertion. It was a plan to undertake a limited offensive operation at shallow depth using long-range guided munitions to minimise exposure of mother aircraft from any possible reaction. To ensure the safety of weapon delivering aircraft, a number of support aircraft undertake simultaneous operations with specific missions.

    Defining the Charter of Chief of Defence Staff

    Having decided to create the post of CDS, the next logical step for the government is to define its charter of duties and responsibilities. The government needs to examine not just the CDS’s role as a single-point military advisor, but also his role in other matters that are equally important in driving critical defence reforms.

    November 21, 2019

    CDS: A Pragmatic Blueprint Required for Implementation

    The blueprint for the operationalisation of CDS would require intensive deliberation to make sure that no aspect of its implementation is left unaddressed.

    August 30, 2019

    Appointment of Chief of Defence Staff: A Historic Decision

    The decision to appoint CDS is an important milestone in India’s quest for complete integration of its defence forces; a significant step towards seamless coordination, better efficiency, and greater effectiveness of the national defence architecture in meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

    August 29, 2019

    Finally a CDS for the Indian Armed Forces

    While the scope of responsibility of the CDS is being worked out, it would be instructive to see what changes could be implemented immediately within the current organisational structures through greater jointness, before getting into the gamut of full integration which should be the logical end state.

    August 19, 2019

    Ramjee Chaudhari asked: What are the implications on the security of IAF assets due to UDAN operation from IAF bases?

    Kishore Kumar Khera replies: Primarily, there are two types of airfields in India - Military Airfield and Civil Airfield. This classification is based on the agency controlling the airfield control zone airspace and ground operations. Creation and maintenance of airfield infrastructure are resource-intensive and duplicating these facilities for the exclusive use of civil operators or military operators is sub-optimal.

    Rituraj asked: How can an Airman gainfully utilise his experience and contribute towards enhancing the working conditions and battle effectiveness of the IAF?

    Kishore Kumar Khera replies: The combat capability of a nation is sum total of capabilities of various contributing elements. The Indian Air Force (IAF) forms a crucial subset of the national combat capability. The equipment, human resources and infrastructure define the combat capability of the IAF. Each air warrior irrespective of gender, rank, branch, trade, experience or appointment is a part of this capability. Every individual can contribute by undertaking the defined role in an efficient and effective manner.

    Ravi Ranjan asked: What lessons can the Indian Army draw from the empowerment of JCOs in the Air Force and the Navy?

    Vivek Chadha replies: The empowerment of Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) has remained an ongoing endeavour within the Armed Forces, irrespective of the specific service. Over a period of time, greater powers, including financial and administrative, have been delegated to ensure that JCOs take greater responsibility and their services can be best employed.

    P. Avinash asked: Will having a design and development bureau under the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army, like the Directorate of Naval Design under the Indian Navy, prove to be more effective?

    Kishore Kumar Khera replies: The output of a system is a function of not only the yields of each of the subsystems but also the coordination, cooperation and complementarities between the subsystems. Like most of the output driven entities, in the case of weapons/weapon systems/weapon platforms too there are three primary subsystems: Design and Development Team (DDT), Production Agency (PA), and the End User (EU).

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