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IAF chief ACM AP Singh raised alarm over persistent delays in defence procurements, citing setbacks in Tejas and AMCA projects, while praising Operation Sindoor as a model of unified national effort.
New Delhi: Expressing deep concern over persistent delays in defence platform procurements, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Thursday urged swift and collective action, stressing that empowering the armed forces is key to winning wars.
Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit in Delhi, ACM AP Singh said: “Many times, we know while signing contracts that those systems will never come. Timelines are a big issue. Not a single project I can think of is completed on time. Why should we promise something that cannot be achieved?”
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Highlighting the continuous delays in the delivery of light combat aircraft (LCA) Mk1A, he said the contract for Mk1A fighter aircraft was signed in February 2021 but they are still stalled. So far not a single aircraft is delivered to the IAF. However, the delivery was scheduled to begin from March 2024.
“Deliveries of Tejas Mk1 are delayed. The prototype of Tejas Mk2 is yet to roll out. There is no prototype yet of the stealth AMCA fighter,” ACM AP Singh added.
During Aero India 2025 at Bengaluru, Asianet News English was informed that the first prototype of LCA Mk2 will be rolled out at the end of this year.
“We cannot just talk about producing in India, we need to talk about designing. We need to have trust between the forces and industry. We need to be very open. Once we have committed to something, we should deliver. Air Force is trying to do its best to make in India.”
"We have to be now-ready to be future-ready. In 10 years, we will have more output from industry, but what we need today, we need today. We need to quickly get our act together," he said. "Wars are won by empowering our forces."
Operation Sindoor Praise
Talking about the Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 to destroy the terror infrastructures inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir, the IAF chief said: "Operation Sindoor, as it was told by the Chief of Naval Staff, the character of war is changing. Every day, we are finding new technologies coming in,” adding “Operation Sindoor has given us a clear idea of where we are headed and what we need in future. So a lot of work needs to be done in realigning our own thought processes also, which is already going on.”
"I must put on record Operation Sindoor that we have been talking about. It is a national victory. My thanks to every Indian here. I am sure every Indian contributed towards this victory. As has been said again and again, this was an operation executed in a very professional manner by everybody— all the agencies, all the forces. We all came together, and when the truth is together, everything happens on its own..."
"In future, we will be able to deliver the goods as a nation, and we will be able to achieve our objectives. AMCA- advanced medium combat aircraft has been cleared for even participation by private industry, which is a very big step, and that is the kind of confidence that the nation has in private industry today, and I'm sure this is going to pave the way to bigger things coming in the future," he added.
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