Rajnath to IAF : Include new technology in readiness plan

New Delhi, April 15

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to include all dimensions of war-like advanced technologies, asymmetric capabilities and info-dominance as part of readiness for the future.

All praise for timely response at LAC

• At the Commanders’ Conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the IAF on ensuring a timely and befitting response to the sudden developments in eastern Ladakh
• He advised the Commanders to draw up long-term strategies for capability enhancement to counter future threats
• Appreciating the IAF’s order for 83 planes of the LCA Tejas Mark 1A version, Rajnath said it would result in a substantial boost to the domestic industry

He was addressing the IAF Commanders’ Conference, where he advised the Commanders to draw up long-term plans and strategies for capability enhancement to counter future threats. The focus of the conference is to look at new technologies that can define future wars. A series of discussions include strategies and policies related to capabilities that would give the IAF a significant edge over its adversaries.

The conference assumes significance as the IAF is working towards having threat-assessment-based artificial intelligence (AI) and using the upcoming technology to train pilots to assess their activities while flying planes. The IAF is working towards a system of automated threat analyses based on the AI. This improves situational awareness for monitoring threats.

The IAF is already backing a programme for “manned-unmanned teaming”, which means an unmanned fighter jet will be part of a patrol of fighter jets in future war scenarios. A prototype of design was unveiled at the Aero-India in Bengaluru in February. The US and the UK are other countries that have plans for such unmanned fighter jets. He referred to changing international geopolitics. The minister spoke about the perceptible shift of focus from Trans-Atlantic to Trans-Pacific. — TNS