Amit Cowshish replies: The initiative to engage with the academia in the field of defence R&D must come from the private and public sector defence industry, acting in tandem with the armed forces and the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). This also requires an overarching organisation to coordinate the efforts. On the face of it, there are three specific areas for potential collaboration.

Kishore Kumar Khera replies: Air Defence Zone, more commonly known as Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), is a segment of air space in which entry and subsequent air operations are permitted only after specific authorisation by the controlling Air Defence Authority. Air space over territory, including territorial waters, of a state, is the ADIZ controlled by its armed forces.

Kishore Kumar Khera replies: Military aviation, like any other technology-intensive field, continuously evolves. Although a classic definition of various generations of combat aircraft does not exist but based on the core capabilities, it is broadly classified.

Kishore Kumar Khera replies: A contract for procurement of 62 C295 aircraft is under consideration for replacement of 56 HS748 Avro for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the balance six aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard. Of these, 16 aircraft are to be built by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and the balance aircraft will be manufactured in India. To facilitate aircraft manufacturing in India, certain Transfer of technology (ToT) is inevitable.

Kishore Kumar Khera replies: The rate at which the character of war is transforming and technology evolving, manned combat aircraft, as we know them, may lose their relevance. Much of the kinetic force application in future may be based on unmanned systems and high speed long range weapons launched from arsenal aircraft. The world combat aircraft inventory has already decreased by over 57 per cent in the last three decades and the same trend is expected to continue.