| ID | 126371 |
| Title Proper | Air power |
| Other Title Information | an evolution of the threats and challenges before the IAF |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Bahadur, Manmohan |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The Indian Air Force (IAF) is into its eighth decade and as it closes in on its centenary, a mere two decades away, many a treatise has been propounded on the challenges ahead for the youngest armed service of independent India. What started as a mere flight of Wapitis at Drigh Road, Karachi, has grown into a potent power projection arm of the state.
The IAF derives its fortitude from its motto, Nabha Sparsham Deeptam (Touch the Sky with Glory). But there is perhaps a limitation in the coining of this motto as there is a hint of conclusiveness in the envelope of operation of Air Power. A more intuitive and farsighted approach may well have resulted in its coining to include space, the final frontier. But is space the final frontier? One better be careful lest a scribe writing about the IAF a few decades from now also questions this writer's perceptive ability!
Limiting the horizon to a manageable timeframe makes the future 'realistically' transparent. So, considering a timespan of 20 years, when the IAF turns 100, let's evaluate how the anticipated threats and challenges are to be addressed based on the IAF doctrine. |
| `In' analytical Note | Force Vol.10, No.12; August 2013: p.62-64 |
| Journal Source | Force Vol.10, No.12; August 2013: p.62-64 |
| Key Words | India ; Indian Air Force - IAF ; Space Security ; Air Operations ; Air Power ; Force Planning ; Weaponisation of Space ; Defense Strategy ; Military Leadership ; IAF Doctrine |