Crime Today News
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Thursday raised concerns over delay in defence procurement, asserting that a “not a single project gets delivered on time”, and sought redressal of procedural handicaps in the ecosystem.
“Timelines are a big issue. Not a single project I can think of has been delivered on time. This is something we have to look into. Why should we promise something we cannot achieve? At the time of signing of contracts we are sure that this will not come but we just go ahead and sign the contract and leave it to the future to see what happens,” Singh said in his address at a session of CII Annual Business Summit 2025.
Timeline trouble
Singh aired his displeasure before the captains of the industry. This is the second time in three months that the Air Chief has talked about delays. He had voiced similar concerns at the Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru against Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the delay in delivery of Tejas Mk1A fighter aircraft.
HAL, however, had attributed the delay to US-based General Electric (GE) not delivering F404 engines on time.
Sanctity of time
Talking about the sanctity of time and requirement, the Air Chief said: “What is required today, is required today.” He, however, simultaneously appreciated the self-reliance policy, the DRDO and the indigenous industry for rising up to the challenges faced by the armed forces.
“We need to quickly get our act together and adopt a whole-of-nation approach for getting what we want,” he urged in his speech at “Harnessing Industry, Innovation and Partnerships: Delivering India’s Defence Vision”.
The IAF Chief described clearing of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project as a “big step” and a sign of confidence in the domestic industry. For the first time, private players have been allowed to participate in the development of the next generation fighter aircraft.
He hoped that whenever AMCA is rolled out, it should be of the “contemporary generation”. The DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Agency, which has conceived AMCA, had said that it will be a 5.5 generation stealth aircraft.
National victory
Singh hailed Operation Sindoor as a “national victory”, and said all the Indian forces came together to execute it in a very professional manner.
“We were taking the path of truth, I think, God was with us also in this,” he said.
“This Operation Sindoor that we’ve been talking about, it’s a national victory. I thank each and every Indian. I am sure, every Indian wanted….was looking towards this victory,” he said.
He also insisted on the centrality of the air power in warfare no matter whether India is a seafaring nation. “Any operation we do, we cannot do without air power and that has been proved very well in this successful operation also,” he observed.
In a dramatic flourish, quoting Bollywood actor Salman Khan, while he was talking about India’s resolve to use home-grown defence equipment, Singh said: “Ek baar jo humne commitment kar diya to fir, hum apne aap ki bhi nahi sunte…(I don’t even listen to myself once I have made a commitment).”
He talked about building trust between the armed forces and industry and encouraging open communication. “Pran jay par vachan na jay (A man of his word values it over his life),“ he said, recalling Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s speech earlier in the opening session of the CII Summit.
Taking inspiration from his own Sikh religious belief of “Dasvandh” which means tenth part, Singh suggested that 10 per cent of the industry earnings should go for research and development. It could be something on the lines of Corporate Social Responsibility that companies have to adhere to, the Chief of Air Staff advocated.
Published on May 29, 2025
This article first appeared on The Hindu Business Line
📰 Crime Today News is proudly sponsored by DRYFRUIT & CO – A Brand by eFabby Global LLC
Design & Developed by Yes Mom Hosting
