IAF's Plummeting Graph
Makhdoom BabarTHE plummeting graph of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has not only created a panic among the top IAF authorities but there is also a great feeling of discomfort among the families of the IAF Pilots who have termed the Indian Air Force as a "widow making" institution, reveals the findings of The Daily Mail Investigation Cell (DMIC).
These findings indicate that the presence of the 'commission Mafia', lack of professional skill, deteriorating conditions of the combat planes, low moralities of the pilots, reduction in the peace time flying sorties, minimum know-how of the latest Aircraft and highly effective counter strategies of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has very badly affected the image and the operational capabilities of the IAF.
The DMIC findings reveals that the IAF is continuously loosing it's Aircraft as well as Pilots and aeronautical engineers. During the past twenty years i.e. from 1980 to 2002, the IAF lost some 441 fighter aircraft, 31 transport aircraft, 98 Helicopters and some72 basic training aircraft. Just during the decade of the 90, according to an official report, submitted in the Indian Parliament, the IAF lost at least 80 of it's top class pilots and over 185 aircraft, with an estimated financial loss of Rs 6,800 crore. And to be more precise, 28 out of these 80 pilots went down just during the year 1999. Year wise break up of the destroyed aircraft of the IAF is as under:-
A senior official of the IAF, Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, presently attached with India's Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) says, "There is no doubt that after stabilizing tin the mid '90s, the crash rate especially vis-à-vis the old MiG 21s-has gone up dramatically in 1999". He has further asserted that "whatever the establishment may maintain, such crashes send the morale of the force plummeting".
The IAF officials justify this high crash rate, owing to a 20 per cent increase in the peacetime sorties in 1999 as compared to the yester years, but they do not have any explanation to put forward about the rest of the period.
The Daily Mail Investigation Cell (DMIC) findings indicated that there was some truth in the plea that the IAF took regarding the increased crash rate as greater number of the Combat Air Patrol Sorties (CAPS) at the forward area bases like Tezpur, Ambala, Jodhpur and Adampur. But the avionics' experts say that this can not be forwarded as an excuse for increased crash rate by any standard Air Force in the world "infact an added number of sorties in the peacetime provides more skill in the flying", asserted a senior former PAF officer, while talking to the DMIC. It remains a fact that the rate of crash remained a steady three per 10.000 hrs of flying during the decade of '90.
A study of the record of the IAF reveals that the IAF thoroughly remained in multiple troubles eversince it's inception. Earlier it's pilots and engineers were unable to deliver the goods due to the obsolete avionic set up and later the corrupt Mafia within the force as well as in the ministry of defence added much to cripple the institution. Moreover, the performance of the IAF, gauged by the analysts during the two Pak-India Wars, in comparison with the Pakistan Air Force further demoralized the IAF pilots.
However, much of the IAF problems were attributed to the out-fashioned and obsolete MiG-21, accounting for 62 per cent of the overall crashes. This aircraft was commissioned in the Indian Air Force some 40 years back and was considered as a 'darling machine' long ago. But now it is the most disliked fighter aircraft among the pilots and engineers of the IAF due to variety of complications, this aging aircraft faces. There is a complete lack of confidence in the ability of these MiG-21s to keep airborne without a glitch. The losses of the IAF due to this machine can be gauged from the data which indicates that the IAF loses one MiG fighter every 2500 flight hours.
The IAF is also facing numerous other problems in this connection, which includes a poor maintenance of the engine and inadequate supply of spare parts. The DMIC has learnt that the Belgian government had stopped its avionics firms from selling certain spare parts to the IAF in the wake of the tension between Pakistan and India over the chronic issue of Kashmir. Some other countries are also reported to be following the same policy in this regard. On other side, the corrupt politicians and the Ministry of Defence at Delhi have also contributed a lot to cripple the IAF. There had been a number of illogically expensive and highly lavish deals, continuously taking place by the personnel of the Indian ministry of Defence with numerous country due to highly lucrative kickbacks and other secret incentives. The situation finally took the Indian defence minister George Fernandes to direct the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into the involvement of the "mediator" in defence purchases particularly the purchases for the IAF during the past 15 to 20 years. These purchases includes the Dassault Aviation's Mirage 2000 fighters from France and MiG 29 and Su-30 fighters from Russia and many other scandals.
Another shocking fact adds to the desperation and demoralization of the IAF Pilots. The IAF comprises a total of 35 squadrons and 22 of these 35 squadrons are of the most vulnerable machine ie MiG-21 and with this situation, the pilots and the aeronautical engineers are not ready to risk their lives by flying this machine. A senior IAF officer, a commanding officer of a MiG-21 squadron says, since there is a majority of the MiG 21s in the fleet of the IAF, the ratio of the crashes of this machine is bound to be on top. "Do not forget that as many as 17 Jaguars have also crashed and we have only 4 Jaguar Squadrons in the force "asserts the Commanding Officers during an official conversation with the reporter of an Indian magazine. The Indians though opted some three years back to get the MiG 29s upgraded from abroad, but official at the ministry of defence at Delhi could finalize the deal with Israel or Russia until they entered into an agreement with the Russians for the purpose just recently. But all that has been achieved so far is flight testing of only two MiG-21s and even this agreement is being probed by the CVC and CBI back in India.
However many of the officials of the IAF believe that the MiG-21 syndrome is just one of the many reasons behind placing the IAF in a severe crises and turmoil situation. A senior IAF officer Air Commodore Jasjit Singh is on record having said "there are two other reasons, for the poor air safety record of the IAF. The first is a 16-year delay in the procurement of the Advance Jet Trainer (AJT) and second is the consistently poor quality of spare parts that are needed to keep the fighter planes airworthy". It is pertinent to mention here that the professional quality graph of the IAF pilots have taken a nose dive as they are unable to get the basic training's in accordance with the latest technology in absence of the AJTs and at present they are being trained on the obsolete Kiran Mark II to fly the most advanced and sophisticated Mirage 2000. The other aircraft, which the IAF depends on for the training purposes is the oldest version of MiG 21 ie the MiG 21 FL but even this machine is not suitable as it is essentially a fighter-interceptor and does not incorporate any features of a trainer jet.
The DMIC findings reveals that the Former IAF chief S K Kaul had developed certain differences with the Ministry of Defence over the issue of the procurement of the AJTs as he believed that a poor training results into fatal errors of judgement at high speeds and the same playa key-role in most of the crashes. The present IAF chief is also reported to be on not very good terms with the government, particularly the Ministry of Defence as he has reportedly criticized the Defence Ministry high-ups for paying no attention to the IAF needs while spending billions on purchases for the Indian Army. This cold war between the IAF chief and the civil government has also played a key role in depriving the pilots of the IAF from latest training facilities.
The investigations of the DMIC reveals further that owing to this situation, there has been a great deal of discomfort and there is a feeling of insecurity among the families, particularly the wives of the pilots and the aeronautical engineers of the IAF, who have started considering the IAF as a widow maker. Moreover there has been a considerable reduction in the number of applicants, seeking commission in the IAF. There has been an overall 58 per cent cut, recorded in applications for the commission in the IAF during the past 10 years.
The DMIC findings further indicate that continuing with its troubles, the IAF also faces another problem as India's 17-year-old Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project, delayed by more than a decade, continues to be plagued by serious technical uncertainties and cost overrun.
