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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
'Your turn will come': What PM Modi told Naval chief soon after India-Pak ceasefire
Anyone who knows Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, General Upendra Dwivedi, or Admiral Dinesh Tripathi will realize that they are all apolitical yet unafraid to speak their minds to the political leadership when it comes to national security. ACM Singh is a classic test fighter pilot who lives for the day and could not care less if the political leadership gets upset with his bindass attitude. General Dwivedi is a typical OG, dyed-in-wool green, most comfortable when with his troops. He is shy to a point but asserts himself when required and can be ruthless. Admiral Tripathi is a total badass who believes in the lethal power of the Navy and was ready to wipe out Karachi port on the morning of May 10—until the Pakistani DGMO pleaded for peace. PM Narendra Modi with his war cabinet on May 10. The report was presented to a national security team headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan. One common denominator with all four is that they know how to walk a razor's edge and have the daring to take any decision when it comes to national security—ready to face the consequences. Together, they make a formidable hunting pack. On the morning of May 10, while appreciating the Indian armed forces' response, PM Modi congratulated Gen Dwivedi and ACM Singh. He then looked at Admiral Tripathi and said: 'Humne aapke mooh se niwala cheen liya, aapko mauka phir milega' ('I have snatched the morsel out of your mouth, but your turn will come'). This statement came soon after the Indian Navy was told to stand down from launching a BrahMos missile attack on Karachi port. Unafraid that Pakistan could retaliate with a missile strike on his home state, Gujarat, in response to the Karachi move, the PM gave the three chiefs a total free hand and was prepared for the worst. The three chiefs may have had second thoughts—but not the PM. While many armchair strategists in state-funded think tanks may feel that ACM Singh's remarks in Bengaluru on Saturday were overstated, the fact is that the Air Chief spoke only about confirmed Pakistani aircraft, radar, and AEW&C platform kills during the May 7–10 conflict. He did not account for other hard evidence. National security planners and intelligence agencies know that a hangar housing C-130 Hercules VVIP transport aircraft was hit hard at Chaklala airbase in Rawalpindi on May 10, and two F-16s were destroyed on the ground in Jacobabad. The northern PAF command-and-control network went blind after Nur Khan (Chaklala) was hit at 2.30 am on May 10. ACM Singh also did not include 'half kills' in his remarks. Such was the fear of the Indian Army's M777 Excalibur shells and Warmate loitering ammunition that Pakistani troops abandoned posts near the LoC and fled. The IAF's response forced all prized PAF assets to be moved towards the western border with Iran and Afghanistan. For that very reason, an S-400 missile was used to take out a wide-bodied aircraft 315 kilometers from the Indo-Pak border in Punjab, Pakistan. The hit aircraft was a Saab AEW&C platform, though many in the IAF believe it could also have been a Dassault Falcon 20 ELINT aircraft. If that were not enough, hardly any ship or submarine of the Pakistan Navy was out at sea to counter the Indian Navy's armada, with all enemy vessels moving towards Gwadar in fear of the Indian response. Although PM Modi's critics and sundry professors may taunt him for stopping the armed response due to alleged US intervention, the last Indian BrahMos strike hit Bholari airbase at noon on May 10—after which all mission objectives were complete. Since Field Marshal Asim Munir was DG (ISI) when the Pulwama suicide bombing took place on February 14, 2019, and Army Chief when the Pahalgam Hindu tourist massacre was enacted at the instructions of Rawalpindi on April 22, 2025, it is clear that Pakistan will attempt another terror attack in the Kashmir Valley or the Indian hinterland in the near future. While Munir may get promoted to Pakistan's President or Field Marshal Administrator, it seems that the Indian Navy will get its turn after all.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Very clear political direction for Op Sindoor, no restrictions imposed on us: IAF chief
NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: The govt did not impose any operational restrictions on the armed forces during the May 7-10 hostilities against Pakistan, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said on Saturday, with the forces themselves deciding all the rules of engagement. "There was very clear political will, very clear directions that were given to us, and there were no kind of restrictions put on us," the Indian Air Force chief said at the 16th Air Chief Marshal LM Katre memorial lecture in Bengaluru. "We, the armed forces, decided what will be the escalation ladder that we want to ride on. We decided how we want to control the escalation. So, I want to make it very clear, there were no restrictions on us," the ACM added. The remarks are significant since the opposition has attacked govt on Operation Sindoor by latching onto some remarks made by India's defence attache to Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, in a seminar there on June 29. He had said the IAF lost some fighters on May 7 because of the "constraint" given by the political leadership to target only the nine terror hubs and not attack Pakistan's military establishments and air defences on that day. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These 11 Everyday Foods Might Be the Key to Knee Pain Relief Undo The IAF chief, however, said "full freedom was given to us to plan and execute" the strikes. "I must say that our attacks have been calibrated because we wanted to be mature about it," he said. There was a lot of planning and discussion among the chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan and the three Service chiefs, with national security advisor Ajit Doval also playing "a very big role" in getting all the forces and agencies together, ACM Singh said. After the Pahalgam terror massacre on April 22, it was decided the response could not be limited to the usual objectives. The aim this time was to strike not just the foot soldiers of terrorism, but the leadership infrastructure that sustained them, ACM Singh said. While seven targets close across the border were targeted by the Army, the IAF took on the main headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke and Jaish-e-Muhammed in Bahawalpur that were further away. The two headquarters were hardened, well-defended structures, with the long-range strikes aimed at leadership residences, other housing for operatives and the spaces used for congregations and training, with a strict emphasis on minimising civilian casualties. This time there was also emphasis on getting video and other footage of the "hits" on different targets. The absence of such evidence during the air strikes on the Jaish-e-Muhammed terror facility at Balakot in Feb 2019 had led some quarters to doubt the claims at that time. "So, I am very happy that this time we were able to take care of that ghost of Balakot," ACM Singh said.
The Print
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
IAF chief breaks silence on Op Sindoor—6 Pakistani aircraft shot down by S-400, many destroyed on ground
Speaking at the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre lecture in Bengaluru, ACM Singh said one SAAB AEW&C aircraft was also destroyed in precise strikes by the IAF on the Bholari air base. New Delhi: Breaking his silence on Operation Sindoor, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh Saturday said India's S-400 Triumf air defence system had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets in the air along with an AEW&C/ELINT aircraft at a distance of about 300 kilometres, besides some parked F16s at the Jacobabad air base. ThePrint was the first to report on 8 May that the S-400 system had seen action for the first time during Operation Sindoor. Information related to actual kills was then held back since the IAF was still in the process of analysing the technical inputs. All the five fighter aircraft along with the AEW&C/ELINT were shot down on 7 May, sources had then told ThePrint. Sources said the identity of the fighter aircraft was discerned based on the signature and they are all of Chinese origin. No F16s were shot down in the air, as per preliminary inputs. The other aircraft shot down at a distance of about 300 kilometres was a slow moving large aircraft which could have been the Saab Erieye, an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, or the Chinese-made electronic intelligence (ELINT) and electronic warfare (EW). (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: 'Will strike deeper within India, starting from east': Pakistan army on if there's another Sindoor-like op
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh is right. India's defence capabilities are dragged down by systemic issues
With air power acquiring renewed focus because of Operation Sindoor, it is encouraging to note that the first HAL Nashik-produced LCA-Mk-1A is all set to make its maiden flight in mid-July. Concurrently, this is an appropriate time to recall the sage counsel of the Air Chief Marshal (ACM) A P Singh regarding the systemic challenges that constrain India's atmanirbhar effort in this domain. Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry summit recently, ACM Singh expressed concern over the long delays in delivery schedules of major platforms, noting: 'Timeline is a big issue. Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time. This is something we have to look at. Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved? While signing the contract itself, sometimes we are sure that it is not going to come up, but we just sign the contract.' The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been grappling with the challenge of obsolescence and depleting inventory with its fighter aircraft for decades and this issue has been flagged by successive air chiefs to the government of the day. But no one has been as explicit in belling the cat as ACM Singh; his constructive candour is commendable. The onus for these prolonged delays in delivering combat aircraft to the customer — the IAF in this case — lies with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which has a monopoly in the defence aviation sector. The primary customer has been rendered captive and the most glaring delay is the LCA (light combat aircraft) Tejas. This project began in the early 1980s with the setting up of the ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) under the aegis of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) to replace the Soviet origin MiG aircraft of 1960s vintage. The design and manufacture of a modern fighter aircraft is a complex and onerous project and most nations that have acquired this capability have taken decades with considerable investment in the ecosystem required for this endeavour. India followed the same track and the first indigenously built aircraft was inducted into the Air Force in 2015 — that is three decades later and the combat efficiency is yet to be proven. However, the IAF has raised concerns over the delivery schedule of the 83 Tejas Mk-1A which HAL had promised to supply and this was flagged by ACM Singh at the Bengaluru air show in February this year. At that time, the CAS expressed his 'no confidence' in HAL and added: 'I was assured that by February, 11 Mk1As would be ready except for the engines. Not even one is ready yet.' At Bengaluru, the CAS also acknowledged that the inadequacies were 'systemic' and not the fault of individuals and held out an olive branch, when he noted: 'I cannot single out anyone because the responsibility falls on all of us.' It is evident that whatever efforts the IAF may have made in the past, it found itself in a catch-22 situation: No credible indigenous fighter aircraft being delivered on time by HAL and no viable option available to import these platforms due to the government push to adhere to atmanirbharta. Yet, to its credit, the IAF rose to the occasion during Operation Sindoor despite these constraints and at the CII Summit, the CAS highlighted the centrality of air power in the composite national military capability. India is woefully inadequate in this domain and the systemic lapses begin at the very top — in the higher defence matrix of the country — represented by the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security). Notwithstanding the stellar success of a modest but indigenously designed fighter aircraft — the HF 24 Marut — that was rolled out from HAL in the early 1960s (thanks to a German designer Karl Tank), the higher defence management lattice was unable to prevail upon the 'system' (represented by the political apex, the defence ministry, the IAF and the HAL) to pursue the indigenous design path, in the manner that the Indian Navy did. HAL marched to its own beat, sans accountability and was unable to forge a synergistic atmanirbhar-oriented relationship with its principal customer, the IAF. The political apex was indifferent to this stasis and the client was driven into a supplier-monopoly cul-de-sac, wherein the import option became the default choice. This ensured that India's combat aircraft were assembled in the main — and this was trumpeted as an indigenous achievement. Progressive manufacturing of imported designs (largely Soviet/Russian origin) took root but genuine indigenous design effort languished. The fact that India is still dependent on an imported aero-engine for its LCA and other platforms is illustrative. R&D lies at the heart of a viable and modern indigenous design capability as the CAS highlighted and needs sustained investment from the government, complemented by private sector and academia. Tangible fiscal support is vital and the Indian investment is well below the median. The Global Investment Index estimated 2023 R&D spending (in US $ billions) as follows: USA: 784, China: 723, Japan: 184, India: 71. The first systemic issue that needs attention is to increase national R&D to reach a more substantial figure and for this to happen — the prevailing strategic culture apropos of national security must undergo a radical transmutation — with lesser emphasis on optics that are driven by electoral politics and an investment in institutional integrity and proven technological competence. India's quest for atmanirbharta will be shaped by its ability to reach world-class design standards in niche high-tech sectors. ACM Singh did his duty — his svadharma — by pointing to the tip of a murky iceberg. The onus is on the rest of the system to heed his sage advice and apply the necessary policy correctives. The alternative is bleak and the much vaunted Indian strategic autonomy will remain a mirage. The writer is director, Society for Policy Studies
The Print
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
From non-delivery of fighters to constant delays & ‘black sheep', IAF chief speaks out
The outspoken IAF chief quoted dialogues from Salman Khan's movie Wanted and the words of Winston Churchill to drive home the point that commitments given to the armed forces have to be adhered to and the industry should step up and deliver. He also expressed hope that when India's homegrown Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is ready, it will be at par with its contemporaries and not dated. New Delhi: In his first public address since Operation Sindoor, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh lamented the constant delays in defence projects, and failure to stick to delivery schedules, especially of fighter jets. He said that the forces have refrained from calling 'black sheep as black sheep'. Air Chief Marshal Singh admitted that the IAF was mostly outward looking when it came to procurements but a 'rap on the knuckles' made it look inwards. 'Atmanirbharta' (self-sufficiency) in defence is key, he added. Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual Business Summit, he underlined the importance of the air force and said air power is integral to both naval and land power. He also spoke on the success of Operation Sindoor: 'This was an operation which was executed in a professional manner, by every agency, forces. Since we were taking the part of truth, God was also with us.' ACM Singh further said Operation Sindoor has shown where warfare is headed and what to expect in the future. Also Read: As Op Sindoor began, India's top military brass watched strikes unfold live from South Block 'AMCA should be a contemporary' Talking about the AMCA, he refused to call it a fifth generation fighter. 'AMCA, I am not calling it what generation because finally when it comes out, it should be of contemporary generation,' he said, welcoming the government's decision to allow private players to bid for the project. As reported by ThePrint, five prototypes of the AMCA are set to be rolled out by 2031 with the induction starting from 2025. DRDO chief Samir V Kamat, speaking to the media at the same event, said the first prototype will be out by late 2029 and all five will be out by 2031, with production slated to start from 2034. However, the problem is that while India has set a 10-year timeline for the fighter, China—which has two variants of fifth generation fighters in service—has already introduced two new fighters which it terms as sixth generation. Talking about military plans, ACM Singh said that while he is aware that India 'is a sea-faring nation and we need to be a big naval power, I think whether it is land power or naval power, air force will always remain and air power will have to be intrinsic to both of these'. 'Any kind of operation we do, we can't do without air power. And I think it has been proved very well in this operation (Op Sindoor) also,' he added. The Air Chief Marshal further said that when it comes to air power, the country needs to make sure it has both capability and capacity. 'We cannot just talk about producing in India. We need to start designing and developing in India. When it comes to producing in India in numbers, the capacity comes in.'. He further said: 'I am not saying we have come to this path on our own. There were times when we were always doubting the Indian industry that it cannot give us the kind of return that we want, the kind of product we want.' 'We were looking outwards more but over the last decade plus, things have changed quite a bit. A rap on our knuckles have made us think inwards and look inwards and then we realized there are a lot of opportunities for us within India. And now also, the current situation in the world has made us realise that atmanirbharta is the only solution,' he added. 'We have to be now-ready' 'Pran jaaye par vachan na jaye. Ek baar maine commit kiya hai, main apni bhi nahi sunta,' the IAF chief said, quoted from the movie Wanted. 'We have to be now-ready to be future ready. That is the concern. Yes, I can look at the next ten years, we will have more output from the Indian industry, from the DRDO, but what is required today is required today. We need to quickly get our act together, maybe get into some quick Make-in-India programmes, so that we can get the now-ready part of it while design in India continues to produce results in the near future or maybe later.' The ACM went on to say that Operation Sindoor was successful because the whole nation was in mission mode and the same approach needed to be continued to empower the defence forces. 'Timelines are a big issue. Once a timeline is given… not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time. So this is something we have to look at…Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved? While signing the contract itself, sometimes we are sure that it is not going to come up, but we just sign the contract. Uske baad dekhenge kya karna hai. Of course the process gets vitiated,' he said. This was a direct reference to the contract for the 83 Tejas Mk-1A contract signed in 2021, delivery of which is yet to start. ThePrint had in 2021 reported that while the IAF had signed the contract with HAL, the fear was that the delivery would not start in time. The first aircraft was to be handed over to the IAF in February last year. Talking about restraint, ACM Singh said, 'Even defence forces have been keeping this restraint of not calling a black sheep a black sheep. We have been encouraging people but somewhere it will break down. I am sure, let's stretch the elastic to the point it is not breaking down.' 'More investment in R&D' He also said there is a need for higher investment in R&D (Research and Development). 'I think people from the Punjabi community will understand something called 'Dasvandh', that ten percent of our earnings should go back towards society…I think something on those lines we should start that if I am earning so much, some amount of money should go towards R&D, defence of the nation…' ACM Singh further spoke about the need for better incentives to retain people in India. 'We need to create incentives, some good environment, so that we are able to get the best people for the job. We are not able to get the best people for the job. People are going outwards, people are working for other countries. I think we need to retain them by paying them good incentives, good working environment.' Quoting Churchill's famous words, he said, 'To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing…What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.' Urging private players to come forward and take the lead, he said, 'My request to you all will be that this could be your finest hour. So please rise to the occasion, come together. If somebody is manufacturing world class cars or equipment in the civil space, why can't that industry or some of them join together and say we will create world class military equipment even if it does not give me the profit I am looking for?' (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: Chose restraint, could've done more—Rajnath on Op Sindoor; adds many in PoK seek reunification
