Air Defence

While combat aircraft acquisition for self-defence capability is a long drawn and expensive process, Botswana has moved systematically to enhance its low-cost variation - by improving ground-based air defence system.

While the larger air forces are capable of sustaining their existing and future inventories for some time to come, the combat assets available to the region’s smaller air forces are facing a problem of pending obsolescence.

India can become a player of significance as its current MR/ LTA – the Dornier Do-228 – is admirably suited to meet the requirements of Caribbean Air Arms.

For Trinidad and Tobago, having two Air Arms has led to duplication of effort that has rendered existing assets less effective than they otherwise might have been. A faulty procurement process has also led to an incompatibility of both aircraft and avionics.

It is difficult to understand why the MoD should bind itself by asking for request for information (RFI) that cannot be compared across all the proposals. What would constitute ‘capability’ and ‘requisite infrastructure’ to license produce the aircraft is a matter of subjective interpretation and therefore, it would become difficult for MoD to assess whether the information provided by a bidder establishes that he/she has the requisite capability/infrastructure.

The Indian navy has long aspired for a true blue water capability and the aircraft carrier project is a critical part of safeguarding India’s maritime interest that includes providing security along the sea lanes of communication.

Air power has gone through a lot over the last two decades—from being a decisive tool of war fighting during Operation Desert Storm and operations over Kosovo, to a more sobering period in the first decade of this century when it faced intense criticism over its use in Lebanon, Iraq and Af-Pak.