Welcome to Air Power Asia
Putting Asia’s aviation and military power into perspective, an initiative of Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd)
Read Insights And Latest Analysis
Are AEW&C Conceding Space to Satellites in View of Long-Range Missiles?
War in Ukraine and the Indo-Pakistan “Op Sindoor” have demonstrated an environment of “Aerial Denial”. This has happened because of ground-based mobile air defence systems with considerably long-range engagement capabilities and very long air-to-air missiles (AAM) with high no-escape zones. This has meant preventing the adversary aircraft from not only crossing into own territory, but keeping a farther distance…
India can learn from Israeli Air Force’s Continued Dare-Devil Raids
Israel Air Force has just de-classified the mission, codenamed “Operation Many Ways,” how in 3 hours 120 elite Israeli forces raided and destroyed alleged underground Iran-funded missile manufacturing facility in Syria. The mission was carried out on September 8 in 2024. Iran’s construction of the “Deep Layer” facility reportedly began in late 2017. Earlier Israel has carried out many other, now famous…
26 Rafale for Navy – Add IAF’s 114 and “Make-in-India-for-the-World”
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, approved a nearly ₹63,000-crore deal for the procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets from France for the Indian Navy, official sources confirmed. The contract is expected to be concluded later this month. It includes 22 single-seater jets that can operate from aircraft carriers and four…
What Delhi can learn from Beijing in fighting air pollution
The peak Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi for November 2025 was 764, reaching this level around November 13, 2025. The peak AQI in Beijing in 2025 so far was 236 on November 5. The average AQI for Beijing in 2025 has been around 77; the same for Delhi has been 129. Both Beijing and…
Can Armed, Stealthy UAVs Replace Fighter Jets or Best Augment Them
Elon Musk has suggested that fighter jets be replaced by drones. However, some say that drones would need to have the same electronics as fighter jets, which would make them expensive. Clearly, more and more tasks are being gradually shifted to drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are not likely to replace fighter jets anytime soon. However, drones will…
Rafale Orders Explode! India Eyes Becoming Production Hub For French Jets After ‘Biggest Ever’ IAF Deal
French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held a joint press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on November 17, 2025, and announced that Ukraine will acquire up to 100 Dassault Rafale warplanes over the next 10 years. Kyiv seeks to bolster its defences against Russia’s invasion. Air defence systems, munitions, and drones were also included in the…
Lessons from Operation Sindoor: Key Areas of Military Modernisation
India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, without qualification, acknowledged some tactical errors on Day 1 of the Indian Air Force (IAF) campaign of Op Sindoor. He was giving an interview to two international media houses. In what is seen clearly as a deliberate and calculated interview, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La…
If America Thins Down, How Will Europe Alone secure itself Against Russia
The world is gradually becoming multipolar. US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine has yet to be made public, but it is already quite clear that he expects Europe to play a far bigger role in the continent’s future security and contain Russia. In fact, he doesn’t even consider Russia as an adversary and…
China the Fastest Growing Maritime Power – Time to keep a Track and Act
In 1980s Deng Xiaoping, and later by subsequent leaders of the People’s Republic of China, the country has been opening up to the world, developing on the basis of a market economy with “Chinese characteristics”. The economic growth and consequent trade required the country to once again look to the sea. Without ceasing to be…
Protecting Under Sea Cables – New Strategic Challenge and Imperative
A cut in the Red Sea cable on September 08, disrupted internet services across India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. The outage also affected the UAE, where networks like Etisalat and Du slowed down. It shows how much of the global internet relies on undersea cables. The problem came from two major cables: the SMW4…
Morale in the Boots – Xi’s Continuous Purge of PLA Generals – Corruption or Insecurity?
The purge saga in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues. The latest names of senior military officials, as tweeted by Jennifer Zeng, a writer, reporter & China expert, who reportedly have been removed from their posts are, Wang Haijiang, Commander of the Western Theatre Command; Wang Peng, Minister of the Training and Administration Department of…
Military and Security Developments in China – India Needs to Build Conventional Capability
As China seeks to achieve “national rejuvenation” by its centenary in 2049, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders view a modern, capable, and “world-class” military as essential to achieving its revisionist aims (changing the current status quo) and overcoming what Beijing sees as an increasingly turbulent international environment. This is the guiding principle charting China’s national, economic, and military strategy. It is thus important…
India’s DRDO Tests A laser Weapon – Understand the Dynamics of Directed Energy Weapons
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Sunday, April 13, 2025, announced the successful trial of the in-house developed Mk-II(A) Laser Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system. It thus demonstrated having mastered the technology for disabling missiles, drones, and smaller projectiles. The success has put India in the exclusive and limited club of nations, which…
PM Modi’s Visit to Sri Lanka – Rejuvenating an Important Relationship
Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a significant two-day official visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025, his first overseas trip after securing a historic third term. The visit reinforced India’s Neighbourhood First Policy (NFP) and strategic focus on the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). During the visit, Modi and newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara…
China Nuclear Arsenal 2025 – Working to Catch Up with USA – India Needs to Keep Watch and Act
China’s nuclear arsenal has undergone significant modernization and expansion in recent years. The country is estimated to possess approximately 600 nuclear warheads, with more in production, to arm futuristic land-based ballistic missiles, sea-based ballistic missiles, and bombers. The country is constructing 320 new silos for its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), including the liquid-fuelled DF-5B equipped…
Pahalgam Attack Need for All out Response – Never Forget Never Forgive
The gruesome massacre of innocent holiday makers at Pahalgam killing at least 28 people, and injuring several others has been condemned by all major world leaders including US President Trump and Russian President Putin. Most world leaders have condemned the attack. Israel has shown solidarity. That it happened at a time when US Vice President JD Vance was in India, indicates the audacity of the…
Russia India China (RIC) Grouping Challenges and Opportunities
The fresh Trump tariffs which have specifically targeted BRICS countries, and India in particular, have once again made India suspect of the USA and its so-called pro-India geostrategic stance. There has been a flurry of visits exchanged between the Indian Foreign Minister and the NSA to Moscow and China, and there have been reciprocal visits. Pakistan Army Chief Munir has been invited to the USA twice in a…
India’s Deepening Military Aviation’s French Connection
The primacy of air power in future military operations has once again been re-established in the Ukraine conflict, West Asian showdowns, and most recently during Op Sindoor. Indian Air Force (IAF) is down to 29 fighter aircraft squadrons vis-à-vis the authorized 42.5. The last MiG-21 “Bison” squadron is being decommissioned this September. The LCA Mk1A is still mired by delays and will enter IAF service…
India China Thaw – Are Dragon-Elephant Set to Tango Again
As Prime Minister Modi gets set to go to China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is here in India between August 18 and 19. Are the two “Asian Giants” actively working to mend their strained bilateral relations, signalling a push towards normalising ties and fostering greater stability between the two? A series of high-level bilateral engagements have been unfolding. Rebuilding bilateral relations, which…
BRICS in the Time of Trump Tariff Madness
BRICS is today one of the world’s leading blocs that has overtaken the G7 on most indicators. As US President Donald Trump runs amok like a bull in the China shop, BRICS countries are brewing a heavy blowback against Trump. Trump has chosen the BRICS countries for a special dose of steep tariffs alongside his…
The Wittty Vriti Show: Independence Day Special Pod cast Air Marshal Anil Chopra
In this Independence Day special episode of “The Wittty Vriti Show”, she brings an exclusive conversation with Air Marshal Anil Chopra, a distinguished veteran of the Indian Air Force. From sharing his remarkable journey as a fighter pilot to insights on India’s strategic defense, the evolution of iconic aircraft, and the sacrifices of military families,…
Russian BrahMos and S 400 – Big Winners of OP Sindoor says Air Chief
Speaking at the “Katre Memorial Lecture,” a function organised by the Air Force Association at Bengaluru, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief, AP Singh made a specific mention of the deterrent capability of the S-400 Air Defence system, and the accuracy of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles that had a game changer role in Op Sindoor.…
Indian Strategic Missiles Pushing Ahead With Precision and Reach
Speaking at an event in Bengaluru last Sunday, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Marshal A.P. Singh disclosed new details about India’s strikes against Pakistan during their unprecedented standoff in May this year. For the first time since the conflict, Singh publicly confirmed that the IAF had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets, along with a…
KAAN, KF-21 and AMCA – Three Parallel Fifth Generation Programs
Fifth-generation fighter aircraft have been the flavour of all discussions on South Asia. A British Royal Navy F-35 fighter jet was stuck in Thiruvananthapuram, India for 37 days after a mid-air emergency forced it to land on June 14. It finally flew back to the UK on July 22. It put into question the logistic-maintenance…
F-35 Has Complications. Accelerate AMCA – Private Consortium Approach the Best Way Forward
The AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) program in India is considered urgent due to the country’s declining fighter squadron strength, the modernization of rival air forces, and the need to maintain a technological edge in air combat. The program aims to replace aging aircraft and introduce a fifth-generation fighter, addressing both operational and strategic requirements.…
Op Sindoor: Indigenous Systems Gave India the Edge – More Needs to Be Done
Operation SINDOOR emerged as a calibrated military response to an evolving pattern of Pakistan’s asymmetric warfare, one that increasingly targeted unarmed civilians along with military personnel. The terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025 served as a grim reminder of this shift. India’s response was deliberate, precise, and strategic. Without physically crossing the…
Deep Drone Strikes New Dimension of Conflict – Lessons for India
Ukraine achieved its longest-range attack into Russia on Sunday, 01 June, hitting targets on four strategic military bases nearly 4,000 kilometres away from Ukrainian territory, and hitting around 40 Russian warplanes. Thirteen of these were reportedly destroyed, and others damaged. Ukrainian President Zelensky claimed that 117 drones were used in the so-called “Spider’s Web” operation…
Make in India Rafale Fuselage – A Strategic Move Forward
In a big boost to Make-in-India, Dassault Aviation of France and India’s Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) will partner for Rafale aircraft fuselage manufacturing at a dedicated facility in Hyderabad. The key structural sections of the aircraft to be manufactured in India include the central fuselage, rear section, lateral rear shells, and the front section.…
Indo-US NISAR Satellite Launched – Huge Potential to Unlock
NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), the first joint satellite of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will be launched by ISRO’s GSLV-F16 on July 30, 2025, at 17:40 hrs IST from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota. It is a unique Earth observation satellite and the…
Future is Directed Energy Weapons – India Fast Coming of Age
India successfully tested the Mk-II (A) Laser-Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) on April 13, 2025, at the National Open Air Range (NOAR) in Kurnool. This 30 kW (kilowatt) laser weapon is designed to neutralize drones, UAVs, and other aerial threats, placing India in a select group of nations with this capability. The DRDO (Defence Research and…
As China Accelerates Airpower, India Eyes Su-57 while Pushing AMCA
A British F-35B fighter jet that made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala nearly four weeks ago is finally being repaired by a team of UK specialists. If that fails, the aircraft will be dismantled and transported—likely in a C-17 Globemaster. The incident was closely observed by global and Indian security establishments,…
B-2s Strike Iran with Bunker Buster MOAB – Understand Technology and Escalation Dynamics
US President Donald Trump described US military strikes on three nuclear sites as a “spectacular military success” and added that the facilities were “completely and totally obliterated.” He was addressing the world from the White House on Saturday evening. Trump warned Iran that the US could go after additional targets if Iran does not make…
14Th Dalai Lama Turns 90 – Succession Plan – Traditions or Tensions
The exiled spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, has announced that his office, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, has sole authority to recognise the next Dalai Lama. On Wednesday, four days ahead of his 90th birthday, he posted a statement to X discussing the future of the Tibetan spiritual leadership, particularly his succession plans. He said…
China-Iran Strategic Closeness – Challenges and Choices India
Iran is still recovering from the 12-day conflict with Israel and the June 22 attack on its nuclear facilities by the United States Air Force and Navy. The conflict has brought the Middle East to the brink of a new regional order, the one through which Israel tried to assert itself as an unrestrained military…
AI 171 – Automation Failure or Human Error Aircrew – Don’t Create Fall Guys
Allegations of human error is “deeply insensitive,” says the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) after the preliminary report on Air India flight 171 crash was released. In an official statement, the ICPA called the accusations and allegations against the pilots and flight crew a “gross violation” and “disservice to the profession.” “In the aftermath of…
The Houthis and the Red Sea Crisis – Unfolding Action and Options India
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the Indian Navy (IN) has deployed ten ships in that (Gulf of Aden) region because we got a double problem. We have a piracy problem, and we’ve got a missile drone problem. In the last few days, actually, one of our ships extinguished a fire and rescued…
Multiple Origin Fleets – Complexities for IAF – Time to Rationalise
At the time of independence, Indian Air Force (IAF) inherited some of the aviation assets left by the British including Hawker Tempest and Spitfires. India also procured more British aircraft like the Hawker Hunter, the Gnat, Devon, and Vickers Viscount. The USA was reluctant but offered some helicopters. The French offered fighter aircraft in the…
Beyond Range and Payload: The Importance of Aircraft Endurance
It is usually observed that the comparison of the aircraft is made upon their technical specifications or their weapon package, but there’s another factor as critical as any other, the endurance of an aircraft. The ability of an aircraft to be successful in combat depends upon endurance to some extent it depends on other factors…
Next Gen Aero Engines
The most important thing that drives all future civil aerospace engine design is engine efficiency, which has a direct impact on specific fuel consumption, operating costs, and environmental issues. New propulsion means for autonomous systems is another area of interest to the civil aviation world. All top engine makers are unveiling new technologies to burn…
Arctic: The New Great Game Arena – India must keep its Foothold
The Arctic region covers over one-sixth of the earth’s landmass and is set to play an increasing role in shaping the course of world affairs. The still less explored region is rich in exploitable natural resources, especially gas and oil and marine living resources. It is estimated that the Arctic could be home to nearly…
British Roadblock in Tejas way to Argentina, and how New Delhi likely to fix it
Carrying an aspiration to score the maiden export success of its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has so far entered into multiple races, and multiple venues, opening doors for various potential customers to judge the capability and compatibility of the platform to fulfill their air defence requirements, either on long-term or interim…
TAPAS/Rustom-II: India’s High-End Miltary Drone
Aerial warfare has come a long way from bows and arrows to fighter jets to military drones. As per former U.S. Army General, Stanley McChryshtal, the military drones are an ‘all seeing eye’ permanently on call which can give reliable, real-time intelligence and apparently riskless, pinpoint accurate strike capability. The recent Azerbaijan-Armenia war and the…
Managing a Congested Airspace over the Future Battle Area
The number of platforms and projectiles in the Tactical Battle Area (TBA) has increased exponentially. The friendly and adversary aerial systems are not only increasing in numbers but are also of a variety of sizes from micro UAVs to large aircraft, and they are also travelling from very slow speeds to many times faster than…
US-China Strategic Competition in Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific has become the new arena for great power rivalry. The region generally comprises the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas interlinking the two near the Indonesia archipelago. The region had seen some great battles between the U.S. and Japanese military after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour in December 1941,…
The Game Changer of the future- Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft
There were several updates regarding the Advanced medium-weight combat aircraft (AMCA) in recent days, the most important of them being the commencement of manufacturing of 1st prototype of AMCA. The AMCA will be a futuristic 5th generation aircraft that would also incorporate some features of planned 6th generation aircraft all over the globe, the development…
Prioritising IAF’s Unmanned Offensive and Defensive Capability
“Victory smiles upon those who anticipate the changes in the character of war, not upon those who wait to adapt themselves after the changes occur.”– Giulio Douhet For long, defence establishments around the world have been working and preparing for the future that would be unmanned. Videos of the Israeli-made Harop loitering munitions, reportedly used by Azerbaijan…
Airpower: Harnessing the Power of Drone Swarms in Combat
The State of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhri on assuming the office of Chief of Air Staff on September 30th last year had in his first media interaction stated that the IAF presently has 30 fighter squadrons. The Chief further stated that “Our count will remain around 35 till…
Akbar Nama- Story of Mi25/35 family with the Indian Air Force
Introduction “On 26th October 1987, Flight Lieutenant Atanu Guru flew in a mission ex-Jaffna to search and destroy militants’ vehicles operating on the Jaffna Karaitivu causeway. Five vans were located on the causeway while attempting to flee towards Karaitivu. With extraordinary accuracy and commendable professional calmness, he destroyed these vehicles and killed all the militant…
Ukraine War. The War in the Air. An Analysis. Air Marshal Anil Chopra
Overview of Conflict The global attention at this moment continues to be on the very serious conflict that began on 24 February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russo-Ukrainian war actually began in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Ukraine is the second-largest European nation after Russia, with an area of 603,550 sq. km.…
WAR IN UKRAINE: INDIA BALANCING PRINCIPLES AND NATIONAL INTERESTS
Breach of Ukrainian Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity The screaming headlines, ‘Putin Invades Ukraine’, announced to the world on 24 Feb 2022 that Putin had finally gone ahead and shown the ‘will’ to bring to fruition his pre-meditated plan; the capability had been assembled at the right places much earlier. All along, Putin kept insisting that…
Ukraine Crisis – A Backgrounder
German Naval Chief’s Delhi Visit The German naval chief Vice Admiral Schonbach’s visit to New Delhi in January 2022 coincided with the last docking of the German naval frigate Bayern at Mumbai, after having departed Germany in August 2021 and having sailed through the Indo-Pacific region. Schonbach alluded to the fact that the ship’s route…
India: National Security Snapshot
The Big Picture (HT, 09 Jan 2022) by Raghu Raman, the founding CEO of NATGRID, alludes to India’s burgeoning internal “half front”, which may prove to be our “Achille’s Heel”. The half front that he is referring to are the internal issues that are causing fissures and cracks in the hugely diverse Indian society, which…
The contested airspace of South Asia: How good are the newcomers?
The war clouds forming over India and Pakistan are always a hot topic of discussion on various forums at the global level. Since the very inception of the two nations in the year 1947, the phenomenon of an arms race in South Asia always remained centric to these two states. Back in the phase of…
TEDBF: The Future of Indian Naval Aviation
“Whoever rules the waves, rules the world”, these famous words by the renowned US Navy flag officer, geo-strategist, and naval historian Alfred T. Mahan, highlight the importance of naval power. In modern-day naval warfare, aircraft carrier-borne operations play a major role in establishing superiority over the opponent. The indigenous 4.5x generation Twin Engine Deck Based…
Aviation & Environment – The Way Ahead
The 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (UNFCCC) was finally held from 1-12 November 2021, in Glasgow, UK. With climate change intensifying and scientists warning that humanity is running out of time to limit global warming to 1.5° Centigrade over pre-industrial levels. The…
Military Aviation Indigenous Production – Strategy India
India’s defence aviation industry is at times accused of not having significantly met the indigenous production needs of the air arms of the Indian armed forces despite being in existence for nearly seven decades. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), for long, had mastered the art of license production. After a partial success with the HF-24 ‘Marut’,…
NEW CHINESE BORDER VILLAGES: AN OSINT ANALYSIS
For a few years now, new villages built by the Chinese government at the border with neighboring countries, or just across the border, or in territory that China disputes have been sighted and reported with increasing frequency. Many of these villages can be seen in satellite images available from Google Earth or other similar open-source…
The BAAZigars: All you need to know about the MiG-29 UPG
“The most advanced is the MiG-29UPG, implemented in India in collaboration with local industry” These were the words of Sergei Korotkov, the director-general of MiG. It was his reference to the Indian upgrade of MiG-29 to UPGs standard where he directly said that the India MiG-29 UPG is the most advanced variant of Mikoyan Mig-29…
Tejas Mk2: The Pride & Future of Indian Air Force
Tejas Mk2 has been the talk of the town recently when the new IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari stated recently that 7 squadrons of Tejas Mk2 are projected for induction in the coming years while discussing the future roadmap of the Indian Air Force’s modernization plan. This is an important announcement not only…
QUAD – Significant Air Power
In March this year, the leaders of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the United States, Japan, Australia and India, held a virtual meeting and released a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to “a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion.” Finally, a check is evolving on belligerent China who is…
Greatest Air Aces of all Time. A chat with the Author Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd)
Very early in aviation, aerial platforms began being used for air-strikes and air combat. A flying Ace, fighter Ace, or Air Ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The concept of the “Ace” emerged in 1915 during World War I, at the same time as aerial dogfighting. It was a term often…
Aircraft Jet Engine Manufacturing Challenges
The gas turbine jet engines are the most widely used means of aircraft propulsion. The engine burns fuel in the combustion chamber to run a gas turbine to accelerate airflow and in turn create forward thrust. Both the fan and the jet contribute to the process. Normally large airliners and transport aircraft have large fans…
The Formidable General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper for Indian Armed Forces
Two General Atomics “Predator B” drones, also called the MQ-9 Reaper Sea Guardian, has been leased by the Indian Navy, in November 2020, from the USA for extended surveillance in the Indian Ocean. These drones are operating from INS Rajali near Arkonnam on the east coast. They are under the operational control of Indian Navy…
Theatre Commands. Interactive Session With Three Stalwarts
India has ambitious plans for setting up theatre commands for its armed forces. These are expected to facilitate better planning and unified military response to any future contingency. But, are these theatre commands really necessary? Need to hasten slowly? We need to have a National Security Doctrine from which should flow the Military Doctrine. Integration…
Air Space Control – Challenges and the Way Ahead
The action in air and space continues to increase. The friendly and adversary platforms and projectiles are not only increasing in numbers but are also travelling at speeds many times faster than sound. Civil traffic is also increasing manyfold. Air space is a finite resource. It thus becomes imperative that appropriate control is exercised for…
Lethal Autonomous Aerial Weapon Systems – Realities of the Future
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in late 2020, included the heavy use of missiles, drones, and rocket artillery. Clearly, Azerbaijani drones were the centre of attention in this war and helped Azerbaijan take control of the skies. Azerbaijani drones provided significant advantages in ISR as well as long-range strike…
IAF’s Fighter Fleet Requirements and Options Ahead
The Galwan showdown of June 2020 and the continuing stand-off between the world’s two powerful nations India and China has brought the focus back on Indian Armed Forces capability building. Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fighter fleet modernisation has been in discussion. The convergence of strategic interests between China and Pakistan and their rapidly modernizing air…
Is China Changing the World order? Where does India stand?
Jai Hind! In this video, Aadi Anchit discusses with Air Marshal Anil Chopra the changing world order and the hope of China that it would be in its favour. He talks about various geopolitical combinations that we see around us today. To start with the US-China relations itself. Moving on to the relations between the…
War for Sale: Private Military Companies and International Relations
Introduction Although mercenaries have existed as long as the history of warfare itself, the 20th Century saw the resurgence of mercenary groups when states in the aftermath of WW2 and in the background of the Cold War were skeptical to get their hands dirty in smaller conflicts. The emergence of a lot of newly independent…
MILITARY AVIATION INDIGENOUS PRODUCTION – STRATEGY INDIA
India’s defence aviation industry is at times accused of not having significantly met the indigenous production needs of the air arms of the Indian armed forces despite being in existence for nearly seven decades. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), for long had master the art of license production, wherein they assembled aircraft from Original Equipment Manufacturer…
Chinese Wing Loong UAVs – Proliferating Across the World
The Chengdu Pterodactyl I, also known as Wing Loong, is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group of China. Designed for surveillance and aerial reconnaissance platform, the Pterodactyl I is capable of being fitted with air-to-surface weapons for use in an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) role.…
Leasing Defence Equipment – Faster, Cheaper, and Effective
Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 that became effective last year, was meant to hasten the procurement process. It introduced for the first time the option for the armed forces to procure military equipment on lease. Given the resource crunch facing the Indian armed forces, the option of leasing would be a handy option for the…
Drones – Security, Sovereignty and Identities
Drone attacks entered the mainstream news and gained prominence around the very beginning of the 2010s decade their increased usage by the Obama administration, even though it wasn’t the first time drones were used in the role. The use of drone strikes to eliminate supposed terrorist elements hurting the American War on Terror in Afghanistan…
A Professional’s Rambling? Evolution of Airpower – Challenges, Questions, and Thoughts
End of Manned Figher Jet Era? During an informal chat with Lt. Gen John Thompson of US Space Command, Elon Musk made a very provocative statement and that too, in a room full of fighter pilots. He stated that the manned “fighter jet era has passed”. This happened during the annual US Air Force Association’s…
Does India Need a Long-Range Bomber?
A saying that was allegedly unpopular with fighter pilots is that there are only two types of pilots, those that drop bombs and those who support them. While fighter flying has attained a type of romantic image of the rakish cur with goggles and a devil-may-care attitude, the bomber has created a more sinister image…
People’s Liberation Army Strategic Support Force – A Comprehensive Look
Red Echo, a hacker group affiliated with the Chinese government, repeatedly targeted the control rooms that manage India’s critical power grids in a massive campaign that could have caused widespread blackouts. The Chinese hackers, however, failed to break into the systems, and no data breach was detected because of the attacks, India’s power ministry said…
The MiG 29 ‘Baaz’ Story By A Young Defence Enthusiast
It was in the 1970s-80s that the Indian Air Force was turning a new page and a lot of major acquisition programs were initiated during the period to replace the older fleet making the air force practically brand new. These were done in the aftermath of one of the most influential aircraft deals by the…
Akash Air Defence Missile– India’s Formidable Weapon System
Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defence system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for Missile Systems, Bharat Electronics (BEL), Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division and Larsen & Toubro for radars, control centres, launcher systems. The Akash New Generation missile system can target aircraft…
Indian Defence Budget 2021-22 – Is it Enough?
The total defence budget for 2021-22 saw only a marginal hike of around 1.4 percent. But the good news was that the Capital budget for modernisation jumped by nearly a 19 percent raise. Interestingly the figures released showed that an unbudgeted Rs 20,776 crore was additionally spent to buy military hardware to immediately beef up…
Analysis of Peacetime Attrition of Historical IAF Aircraft
As a long term, non military observer of the Indian Air Force for over 50 years I believe I have a unique outsider’s perspective of the Air Force. In this era of social media the number of military aviation enthusiasts and followers can be seen to be enormous, but up to the early 1990s observers…
Change of Guard in the US and Indo-Pacific Strategy – A View
The US declassified a Secret 10-page document titled, “US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific” (Framework), on 12th January, 2021 (US EST). This document would not normally have been due for public release until the year 2043. The Framework also had an attached statement by Robert C. O’Brien, Assistant to the President for National Security, dated…
Space – China the Emerging Power
“The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.” – Konstantin Tsiolkovsky “We will build new ships to carry man forward into the universe, to gain a new foothold on the moon and to prepare for new journeys to the worlds beyond our own.” – George W. Bush …
Artemis – The Humanities Return to the Moon
“Pushing the boundaries of space exploration, science, and technology once again, America is on the verge of exploring more of the Moon than ever before. This new era of lunar exploration is called Artemis. Named after the twin sister of Apollo, she is the Goddess of the Moon, and we are the Artemis Generation” says…
USI Strategic Dialogue Series – “Pakistan China Aerospace Nexus”
United Service Institution of India (USI) a 150 year old institution, has recently started Strategic Dialogue Series of Interviews. The first among these was with the Founder of Air Power Asia Air Marshal Anil Chopra. The subject was the “Pakistan China Aerospace Nexus”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrbOd8VgFDc&feature=emb_logo
The Nagorno-Karabakh War: Advantage Hindsight: A View
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a televised statement confirming the details of the Russian brokered peace deal, which provided for “complete cessation of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh”. The agreement went into effect at 01:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on 10 Nov 2020, just prior to the announcements. Armenia’s PM, Nikol Pashinyan, first made the announcement…
Evolving Aircraft Cockpit Technologies
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls that enable the pilot to fly the aircraft. In most airliners, a door separates the cockpit from the aircraft cabin. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, all major airlines fortified their…
The Air War of 1971: Memories of a Teenager
In January 1971 I entered my final year of school. Already there were rumblings in the media of serious events in East Pakistan, which was to become Bangladesh by the end of the year. In March 1971 after the Dhaka University massacre by the Pakistan Army, refugees started pouring into India and war clouds began…
5G Risks and Challenges for Aviation
5G in telecommunications, is the fifth generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, which cellular phone companies began deploying worldwide in 2019, and is the successor to the current 4G networks. 5G networks are predicted to have more than 1.7 billion subscribers worldwide by 2025. Like its predecessors, 5G networks are cellular networks, in which…
Wing in Ground Effect – Flight in an Ekranoplan
In 1998/99 I had the unique opportunity to take two flights in Volga-2 ekranoplan produced by Volga Shipyard in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia. The small ekranoplan for non-military use like the eight seat Volga-2 were developed as small water taxis. They were part of the ground-effect vehicle (GEV), also called a wing-in-ground-effect (WIGE), ground-effect craft, wingship,…
My Flight in MiG 31 Foxhound – Life Time Experience
The Mikoyan MiG-31 ( NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a replacement for the earlier MiG-25 “Foxbat”; the MiG-31 is based on and shares design elements with the MiG-25. The MiG-31 has the distinction of being among the fastest combat jets in the…
General Atomics – The Power House of Unmanned Systems
General Atomics is an American energy and defence corporation with interests in diversified technologies. It was founded on July 18, 1955 as a Division of General Dynamics, in San Diego, California, by Frederic de Hoffmann with assistance from notable physicists Edward Teller and Freeman Dyson “for harnessing the power of nuclear technologies for the benefit…
Major Aircraft Turbofan Engine Manufacturers
The turbofan engine market is dominated by a handful of, mostly western, players. These are General Electric, Rolls-Royce, Pratt and Whitney, in order of market share. General Electric and Safran of France have a joint venture, CFM International. Pratt & Whitney also have a joint venture, International Aero Engines with Japanese Aeroengine Corporation and MTU…
Strategic Balance in the Indo-Pacific – Implications India
“Only air power can defeat air power. The actual elimination or even stalemating of an attacking air force can be achieved only by a superior air force.” —Alexander P. de Seversky “Indo-Pacific is a region with 50 per cent of the world’s population, and enormous diversity of religions, culture, languages, history and political and economic…
India’s Neighbourhood – Pakistan The Fountainhead of World Terrorism
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the world’s fifth-most populous country with a population of around 212 million. It has the world’s second-largest Muslim population. It is the 33rd-largest country by area, spanning 881,913 square kilometres. Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered…
China’s Aggressive Aerospace Push
“We must have some of our people learn aviation, for we can use them whenever we are in need”.—Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (1909) As China’s military expands, so does its world influence. Chinese aerospace developments have been making headlines for over a decade. The “Made in China 2025” industrial plan, which targets 10 high-value industrial sectors…
Unified Combatant Command – India
India’s newly minted Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat has been driving quick changes to Indian military structures. The Kargil Review Committee set up immediately after the Kargil war had made many recommendations. Among them were issues related to National Security Council, intelligence, counter-terrorist operations, border management, defence budget and modernisation, National Security Management…
China’s Rising Aerospace Power
“To secure peace is to prepare for war”—Carl von Clausewitz Napoleon once said, “China is a sleeping giant, let her lie and sleep, for when she awakens, she will astonish the world.” By the turn of the 21 st century the sleeping giant was not only awake but heavily influencing and, in many ways dictating…
Primacy of Aerospace Power
“To have command of the air means to cut an enemy’s army and navy from their bases of operation and nullify their chances of winning the war.” —Giulio Douhet “Air control can be established by superiority in numbers, by better employment, by better equipment, or by a combination of these factors.” —Carl Andrew Spaatz The…
Element Air – Joint Operations – Indian Armed Forces
With the official creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), it is hoped that jointness will the main driver that will get a major push. Real jointness is when land, air and naval commanders jointly formulate, train, orchestrate and implement war plans. Employment of forces in the modem battlefield to achieve military objectives takes…
Follow Us- Get Analysis Ahead of Others
Air Power Asia 