Balakot Ops Showed Offensive Power Can Be Used Under Nuclear Overhang: IAF Chief
Operations like the 2019 air strikes on a terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot have shown, if political will is there, aerospace power can be used effectively behind enemy lines “in a no-war, no-peace scenario under a nuclear overhang” without allowing the actions to escalate into a full-blown conflict, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Wednesday.
“Attributes of high speed, reduced response time, long reach, increased mobility, technological intensity, precision fire power, shock effect, ability to operate across domains, and network centric operations have made aerospace power a formidable component of our nation’s military might,” Chaudhari said, in his inaugural address at the 15th Jumbo Majumdar International Seminar.
The air strikes against the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror base were India’s response to the Pulwama suicide car bomb attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were killed on February 14, 2019. Twelve days later, the IAF’s Mirage fighter jets hit three targets in Balakot, with five Israeli-origin Spice 2000 bombs with penetrator warheads that allowed them to pierce through the rooftops before exploding inside to cause maximum damage.
In the context of aerospace power in future conflicts, the IAF chief said one of its key elements would be the design, development and production of next-generation fighter aircraft.
“I am aware that there are many discussions being held on the relevance of manned aircraft in the future. In my opinion, reliance solely on unmanned aircraft is a little farfetched. The next step in development of air power would be man and unmanned teaming”, he said.
Over the last few decades, the understanding of the military operational environment has significantly transformed from primarily a force, time and space driven battlefield to an arrangement of systems capable of simultaneous and independent operations across multiple domains, he said.
“We all need to acknowledge that the wars of the future will be fought differently.”
Future conflicts will be characterised by a blend of simultaneous application of kinetic and non-kinetic forces, high levels of battlespace transparency, multi-domain operations, high degree of precision, enhanced lethality, a compressed sensor-to-shooter cycle and intense media scrutiny, he said.
“To be able to fight effectively in such an environment, there is a need to reimagine, realign and reform conventional war fighting ways and means.”
The evolution of aerospace power is not merely a matter of technological prowess but also a testament to the ingenuity and adaptability of human innovation in the face of emerging threats and challenges, he said.
“Space has emerged as a critical domain for military operations, where seamless communication, navigation and surveillance capabilities, would enhance survivability of modern military forces. As nations increasingly rely on space-based assets for building strategic advantage, militarisation and weaponisation of space has become an inevitable reality”, he said.