Rafale, a challenge for IAF to maintain inventory

The two squadrons of Rafale fighter jets would boost Indian Air Force’s war fighting abilities; but the service would also face a big challenge in maintaining a complex inventory of eight different types of fighter aircraft.

The IAF currently flies MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29, Su-30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage fighter jets as well as the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft. The French origin Rafale adds another platform to the inventory, making the maintenance job far more complicated for the IAF technical hands.

Successive IAF chiefs had warned the government against multiplicity of the inventory for the sake of better economics and performance. “Multiplicity of platforms is a nightmare. If it were up to me, I would have a single aircraft type. But we don’t live in a perfect world,” former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik had stated in the past.

 In addition, the IAF also flies several other types of transport and surveillance aircraft including C-17, C-130J, IL-76, IL-78, AN-32, Dornier and Boeing 737 and Embraer jets for VVIP flights. There are Hawk and Pilatus trainers and helicopters too.

The inventory problem, however, is unlikely to fade away in future with several aviation majors including Boeing and Lockheed Martin from the US and Saab Gripen and Dassault Aviation offering to manufacture their fighter jets in India if there is an assured order from the IAF.

“It is 36 at the moment. We feel that we can create a strong industrial partnership in India. We know very well the large number of aircraft that the IAF needs,” Dassault CEO Eric Trappier said in an interview soon after India signed an agreement with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets.

The aviation firms sense an opportunity because of the dwindling numbers of fighter aircraft. IAF has sanctions for 42 squadrons, but current strength is only 33 squadrons which includes obsolete versions of MiG variants.

More than 15 years ago, the IAF mooted a proposal to purchase 126 fighter jets anticipating the gap. After almost 10 years of tendering, trial, evaluation and negotiation process, the government scrapped that plan and decided to buy only 36 platforms. The government is yet to decide from where the remaining numbers would come.