| Summary/Abstract |
In Feb 2019, post a devastating suicide car bombing attack on an armed police convoy in the Kashmir Valley, India selected the Indian Air Force to hit back at terrorist training camp at Balakot in Pakistan. India used air power as a strategic signalling tool — in a less than war scenario — crossing the Line of Control (LoC) on an offensive attack mission inside Pakistan for the first time since the 1971 Indo-Pak war. This intelligence driven counter-terror strike against a terror camp highlighted the flexibility of air power to be used in a No War No Peace situation. In future a potent aerospace force has to be ready to deliver decisive blows at very short notice with precision and minimal collateral. In such a scenario, Artificial Intelligence, high-speed weapons (hypersonic) and space-based sensors and network tools will have a significant impact. Besides imbibing new technologies, innovation in use of existing capability and training needs reorientation.
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