AP Singh says IAF plans 36 to 40 fighters yearly
The Indian Air Force is under pressure because new fighter jets are taking longer than expected to join the fleet.
IAF Chief AP Singh shared that keeping enough squadrons ready is getting tricky, so the plan now is to ramp up production, aiming for 36 to 40 new aircraft each year, including both LCA Mk-1A and MRFA models.
This push is key to stop squadron numbers from dropping too low and to work toward the goal of 42 squadrons.
Deal for Rafales, LCA rollouts, Sukhoi-30MKIs
To boost its strength, the IAF has lined up some big moves: there is a deal in progress for 114 Rafale jets from France (with some built here in India),
HAL is set to roll out 20 LCA Mk-1As per year starting December (replacing old MiG-21s),
and another batch of Sukhoi-30MKIs is on the way.
All these steps are meant to help the IAF stay combat-ready and future-proof its air power.