Jodhpur: Air Marshal Virendra Chaudhary on Thursday while attending a press conference on the 'Tarang Shakti' exercise said that phase II of the combat exercise held after 61 years is all set to lay a strong foundation for India's future collaborations. The exercise aims to build mutual trust and strengthen strategic relations with foreign countries.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary pressed for a fast-tracked solution regarding the delayed delivery of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The Indian Air Force (IAF) is facing a critical shortage of fighter jets while awaiting the delivery of additional Tejas fighters.
“The way forward is to diversify production lines, have more public-private partnerships or joint ventures with private partners to have multiple weaponry lines as well as multiple production lines,” he said. HAL has delivered only 36 of the 40 initial orders of Tejas placed by the IAF so far.
IAF initially placed an order for 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets, valued at Rs 48,000 crore, Chaudhury said. "However, the government has since increased the order by an additional 97 aircraft. The production delays have pushed the programme behind schedule by more than 10 months," he added.
He also said that in such a scenario, it is important to match the production capacity and requirements. "For this, a joint venture will have to be formed with public public-private partnership.
Major General David A Piffarerio, Mobilisation Assistant to the Deputy Commander of the US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), said that the United States is ready to offer F-16 fighter jets to India. "We want to give India the best that we have- the
F-16s. Ultimately it's going to be a choice for the Indian Air Force on what they want to do with their air defence." he said.
Commenting on the exercise, Chaudhary said that this endeavour is not meant for the Indo-Pacific region or any specific country. "We aim to train with people with different experiences," he said.
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