The 15th Jumbo Majumdar International Seminar was conducted at the Air Force Auditorium in New Delhi, today. The Seminars are dedicated to the memory of Jumbo Majumdar, the first Indian to attain the prestigious rank of Wing Commander in the Indian Air Force. He was an officer who exhibited remarkable professionalism and adherence to military standards throughout his remarkable career.
The seminar’s focus was on the decisive influence of Aerospace Power would have on future conflicts. The seminar brought together veterans, experts, and members of the strategic community to discuss the evolving role of air power in modern warfare. The inaugural address was delivered by Air Chief Marshal V.R. Choudhari, Chief of Air Staff (CAS).
As nations confront the challenges of contested skies and space domains, the seminar emphasized the significance of aerospace capabilities in shaping national security and maintaining strategic advantages. Certain issues highlighted by the CAS in his remarks and also discussed during the seminar require to be highlighted.
The Relevance of Aerospace Power in Future Conflicts
Future wars will be characterized by a blend of simultaneous application of kinetic and non-kinetic forces, high levels of battlespace transparency, multi-domain operations, precision, enhanced lethality, compressed sensor-to-shooter cycles, and intense media scrutiny.
Aerospace power will play a pivotal role in these conflicts, serving as a symbol of national strength, a tool for peace and cooperation, and a means to maintain national security. The evolution of aerospace power is not merely a matter of technological prowess. Its growth has been spurred by human innovation in the face of emerging threats and challenges.
Space as a Critical Domain in Future Conflicts
As nations increasingly rely on space-based assets for strategic advantage, the militarization and weaponization of space have become inevitable realities. Space has emerged as a critical domain for the conduct of military operations, wherein seamless communication, navigation, and surveillance capabilities will enhance the survivability of modern military forces. To gain and maintain decision superiority, nations must invest in emerging technologies such as CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensors, smart decision support matrices, manned-unmanned teaming, and robust command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4&I) networks.
The Role of Manned and Unmanned Aircraft in Future Conflicts
There is an ongoing debate on the relevance of manned aircraft in the future. The next step in the development of air power will be manned-unmanned teaming. with initiatives like the Combat Air Training System program playing a crucial role in realizing this capability. The next generation of fighter aircraft should incorporate features such as pure stealth, super cruise technology, cross-domain integration, advanced long-range precision weapons, counter-stealth technology, and enhanced electronic warfare for full-spectrum operations.
Sustainability of Small Fleet of Modern Aircrafts in Future Conflicts
A small fleet of modern aircraft risks becoming too stretched to generate meaningful effects, affecting aircraft readiness and availability. This situation may limit the operational capacity of some air forces and the missions they could support. The reduction in aircraft availability could contest numerical depth, thereby negatively affecting the readiness and availability of platforms for operations. Nations should aim for a balanced mix of high-end and mid-tier capabilities to ensure operational capacity and maintain numerical depth in the face of emerging challenges.
Lesson from Balakot Operations
Balakot operations have shown that given the political will, aerospace power can be effectively carried out beyond enemy lines, in a no-war, no-peace scenario, under a nuclear overhang without escalating into a full-blown conflict. Ongoing conflicts across the globe have brought out significant lessons for nations in general and air power in particular.
Prognosis: Aerospace Power
The future of warfare will always be a complex tapestry woven with evolving technologies, shifting alliances and the ever-present threat of conflict. Within this tapestry, aerospace power will always remain vital to conduct of all military operations.
Team Bharatshakti
