On 15^th Jan 2024, Air Marshal (Dr) Rajeev Sachdeva, AVSM (Retd) made a presentation on the topic ‘An Appraisal of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Transport Fleet: Its Optimisation and Transformation' in front of the Board of Management (BoM) at United Service Institution (USI) of India for the award of ‘Flying Officer Amandeep Singh Gill Chair of Excellence’. The Welcome Remarks were presented by Maj Gen BK Sharma, AVSM, SM** (Retd), Director General, USI, and Maj Gen RS Yadav, VSM (Retd), Director, Centre for Strategic Studies and Simulation (CS3), USI. Thereafter concluding remarks were made by Lt Gen Satish Kumar Dua, PVSM, UYSM, SM, VSM (Retd), the Chairman, BoM. The presentation was followed by a brief Question and Answer round.

 

Presentation by Air Marshal (Dr) Rajeev Sachdeva, AVSM (Retd)

 

Key Takeaways:

·         The Study will highlight the significant contributions of the Transport Fleet of the IAF and how it may to evolve and modernise to meet the aspirations of a ‘Developed Bharat of 2047’.

·         The exceptional war fighting capabilities of the IAF that are essential for joint operations were highlighted. The foremost among these capabilities is the ability to rapidly concentrate combat power to achieve delivered results.

·         The Study will also focus on the unique role of the IAF in statecraft, given its efficiency to respond fast and its inherent characteristic of range, mobility and flexibility. The enabling capabilities offered by the IAF’s Transport Fleet would be highlighted to augment the combat capabilities of other services, and also boost the strategic reach of the nation.

Remarks by Maj Gen BK Sharma, AVSM, SM, and Bar (Retd), DG, USI and Maj Gen RS Yadav, VSM (Retd) Director, CS3, USI

 

 

Report by Ms Nandini Agarwal, Research Intern, CS3