New Delhi [India], February 28 : Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Friday set his sights on becoming a major aerospace power by 2047. He said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has already taken significant steps towards achieving this goal, including educating its personnel to be more space-oriented.
Addressing the 'Chanakya Dialogues Conclave', the Air Chief Marshal said, "We would like to be an aerospace power by 2047... We have already taken steps towards educating our people to be more space-oriented."
The IAF has been actively involved in the Ganganyaan project, India's ambitious human spaceflight mission. The four Gaganauts, India's first astronauts, were IAF officers, and the force's medical and training team played a crucial role in their selection and training. The IAF also contributed to the safety requirements of the mission.
"Indian Air Force has been involved in the Ganganyaan project from the beginning. The four Gaganauts were our officers, and our medical and training team was involved in their initial selection and training... The safety requirements of this manned mission were decided with contributions from the Indian Air Force...," added Air Chief Marshal AP Singh.
Gaganyaan project envisages the demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth by landing in Indian sea waters.
Shubhanshu Shukla, a serving IAF officer, will serve as the pilot for Ax-4 mission. The Ax-4 mission will be commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Axiom Space's director of Human Spaceflight. The two mission specialists are ESA project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was recently chosen as the 'Prime' astronaut for Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Gaganyaan mission, for Axiom Mission 4, scheduled for Spring 2025.
Looking ahead to 2047, Air Chief Marshal Singh predicts that the IAF will have a fleet of advanced aircraft, including Rafale and upgraded Su-30 class jets.
The force will also prioritize interoperability with ground, land, and maritime forces, enabling seamless communication and data transfer during operations.
"2047 is not going to be much different for (Indian Air Force) compared to now. I foresee that we'll have all aircraft above 4.5 generation. The simplest aircraft we'll have will be a Rafale or an upgraded Su-30 class. There will be interoperability in terms of ground forces, land forces, and maritime forces in terms of communication networks," added Air Chief Marshal Singh.
With automation and advanced technologies, the IAF aims to make faster decisions and stay on par with global aerospace powers.
"We should be able to transfer data while on the flight... With automation, we will be able to sift through the data and make faster decisions... Technology-wise, we will hopefully be at par with what we have around the world," said Singh.
As India celebrates its 100th year of independence in 2047, the IAF is poised to take a giant leap forward, solidifying its position as a leading aerospace power.