Last Saturday, ahead of Air Force Day on October 8, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Amar Preet Singh flagged a familiar concern: 'declining squadron strength'. This has been a recurring theme in the parliamentary standing committee on defence.
'Declining squadron strength' in IAF's language is measured as the quantum of combat aircraft that can be deployed at air bases across the country, particularly against India's two perennial adversaries, Pakistan and China. The issue has become more acute with retirement of the old warhorse, MiG-21. The Soviet-designed fighter had been phased out over several years, so the writing was on the wall.
