
Victor Dasgupta
Victor Dasgupta is an Assistant News Editor at India.com, where he tracks major developments across national politics, education, world affairs, business, and current events. He specializes in simplif ... Read More
New Delhi: The Indian Army showed its might during Operation Sindoor, earning global recognition. The terror state Pakistan was shown its place during this three-day-long operation, with Indian armed forces inflicting severe damages. However, the operation also revealed certain shortcomings, and India has already begun addressing the areas that require improvement. The Indian armed forces are currently undergoing rapid modernization with the government extending its full support.
According to the reports, all three branches of India’s military (Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force) are simultaneously working on modernization across various fronts, and the most critical among them is the modernization of the Air Force.
Currently, the Indian Air Force is reportedly witnessing a severe shortage of fighter jets. While 42 squadrons of fighter jets are officially sanctioned for the Air Force, only 31 are currently operational. Of those, two squadrons of MiG-21s are set to retire in the coming days. This means India’s operational fighter jet strength will shrink to just 29 squadrons.
Each squadron typically consists of around 18 aircraft, which would leave India with only about 522 fighter jets. Compared to the sanctioned strength, this marks a shortfall of 13 squadrons—or 234 fighter jets.
India never had a cordial relationship with Pakistan and China. Both these countries have always been against us and share a deep strategic friendship. Together, they have formed an alliance against India. This combined partnership significantly amplifies their strength—making them a much more formidable threat when united.
India is currently facing a shortage of fighter jets. Recently, the Air Force Chief has stated that India is struggling with a lack of fighter jets. India has been trying to build its own fighter jets for a long time. The foundation for the Tejas project was laid in 1984, but to this day, the project has not been fully successful.
The United States, Russia, and China already possess fifth-generation fighter jets. However, India is still relying on fourth and 4.5-generation fighter jets. China has even talked about supplying its fifth-generation J-20 fighter jets to Pakistan. This means that both of India’s hostile neighboring countries are equipped with fifth-generation fighter jets.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts Cookies Policy.