The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday announced that it is going to buy 97 more LCA Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets and also added that MiG-21 to be replaced by 2025. MiG-21, which has been in service with the Indian Air Force for more than 60 years now, has met with many accidents in the recent past.
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said that in another month or so, one MiG-21 squadron would be number played. "We would stop flying the MiG-21 fighter aircraft would be stopped by 2025 and would be replaced by the LCA Tejas. In another month or so, one MiG-21 squadron would be number played and the last one after that," Chaudhari said.
On border security
Chaudhari said that the IAF's operational plans are dynamic and change as per developing situations. "We are constantly monitoring the situation across borders through intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance. Our operational plans are dynamic and change as per developing situations. In places where we cannot counter adversaries in terms of numbers, we will counter it through better tactics. We keep revising our ISR plans as per inputs through numbers," he said.
"Owing to the volatile and uncertain geopolitical landscape in our region, the need to have a strong and credible military has become imperative. The Indo-Pacific Region is the new economic and strategic centre of gravity of the world and offers us both challenges and opportunities. Indian Air Force, with its inherent capability to see the farthest, reach the fastest and hit the hardest will be critical in mitigating these challenges and will remain a fulcrum in projecting India's might in the region," he said.
