How can India plug fighter jet gap? Experts weigh in
India's Air Force is running low on fighter jets, with only 31 squadrons flying—and that number's about to drop to 29 as old MiG-21s retire.
For context, India needs at least 42 squadrons to feel secure along its borders with China and Pakistan, who together have a huge edge with around 1,650 combat aircraft.
The imbalance is raising some real concerns about keeping up in the region.
India needs at least 234 more jets to feel secure
India did bring in 36 Rafale jets from France back in 2016, but there's still a big gap—234 more jets are needed.
Buying new planes isn't easy: US F-35s are pricey and tricky to fit into India's systems, while Russia's Su-57 doesn't quite meet the mark.
On top of that, delays in engine deliveries from the US are slowing down India's homegrown Tejas project.
Meanwhile, China is rolling out advanced J-20 stealth jets (which could end up with Pakistan too), so India really needs its next-gen AMCA jets ready by 2035—or risk falling further behind.