The Need for ‘Inclusiveness’ in the Conceptual Understanding of Air Power: The Indian Case

The prevalent and common understanding of air power is very capability-centric and limited to bean-counting of aerial platforms, like fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, and their kinetic potential to carry out damage on and impact the will of an adversary. However, this understanding of air power is not inclusive as it does not take into account a country’s intrinsic capacity and capability to design and manufacture aircraft, critical components and technologies, like engines, sensors, materials and so on. Such capacities and capabilities ensure that the country is self-reliant in the defence and civil aerospace sector and less reliant on foreign suppliers, thereby strengthening the country’s strategic autonomy. This article argues that such capacities and capabilities are important elements that need to be factored in to arrive at a comprehensive assessment of a country’s air power, and that such an assessment will be more inclusive and provide the true picture of a country’s actual potential as an air power.