IAF chief hints at 'foreign options' for 5th-gen jets, flags Pakistan-China tie-up

NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday said that Pakistan's collaboration with China to build fifth-generation fighter jets is a "cause for concern" for India.At the annual press conference, Singh said that the IAF will be able to ward off the threat for the time being, but India must induct fifth-generation fighter jets quickly."It is a cause for worry, no doubt. But is it a situation which is a total no-go situation? I would not agree to that. We do have capabilities. It is not that one platform matters so much. It is the integration of that platform into your system. Just as Pakistan had other platforms, when we carried out Operation Sindoor, they could not do much with them," Singh said."So, as we purchase various platforms and induct them, we must ensure that they are properly integrated into our system. So, we should be able to ward off this threat for the time being, till they integrate it into their system very well. For the future, we need to think ahead. We need to bring in a fifth-generation aircraft quickly. We have to push the AMCA programme. And if there are delays in it, we need to take some other decisions," he added.During the presser, Singh said that the IAF currently has 29 fighter squadrons against an authorised strength of 42. He said that the force needs to induct 36 to 40 fighter aircraft every year to address the shortfall.“We may have to look at other fighter platforms in case of delays in AMCA fifth-gen, other programmes,” he said.On the possibility of an alternative fifth-generation fighter, Singh said Russia has offered its Su-57 jets to India, but no decision has been taken on the proposal.Russia has publicly pitched the Su-57 to India, with Russian President Vladimir Putin also offering joint production of the aircraft in India. However, Singh's remarks indicate that the IAF has not taken a decision on the Russian offer.Last week, defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh had said that India had not decided to pursue any foreign fifth-generation fighter programme and remained committed to the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) as its indigenous fifth-generation fighter project.The AMCA programme, however, has been under timeline pressure. The Aeronautical Development Agency recently extended the deadline for industry proposals to October 30, with bids scheduled to be opened on October 31.The IAF currently does not operate a fifth-generation stealth fighter, either indigenous or foreign. The first AMCA prototype is expected to take to the skies in 2028, with induction planned in the years that follow.The programme is aimed at giving India a domestically designed and manufactured stealth combat aircraft and reducing its dependence on foreign platforms for this capability.