THE FUTURE OF AERIAL COMBAT

The battle skies of tomorrow will be shaped and decided by pioneering technologies in aerial warfare

- AIR MARSHAL ANIL CHOPRA

MILITARY AVIATION AND SPACE HAVE SEEN THE FASTEST evolution. Air power played a significant role in Korea and Vietnam. Arab-Israeli and Indo-Pak wars saw conventional peerlevel operations and gave out solid lessons. Iraq and Afghanistan were uncontested battlegrounds. And now Ukraine, Hamas, and Houthis have driven importance of cheaper drones and air defence systems. Clearly aerial technologies and their impact are reshaping the future wars.

The last century has seen aerospace becoming the most preferred means of prosecution of war. The continued need for air and space superiority to allow favourable prosecution of air, surface and sub-surface operations remains underscored. The combat aircraft have become more agile with characteristics of high speed and manoeuvrability, delivered with greater efficiency. Aerial platforms have become stealthier, and support low-observable sensors are able to see and sense farther.

Aircraft can carry and deliver very long-range air-to-air and air-to-surface precision weapons. The aircraft’s ability to operate in an intense electronic warfare environment has increased.

Fighter aircraft attributes such as very high speed and manoeuvrability will be less important compared to range and precision of sensors and weapons. Integrated sensors across platforms coupled with secure datalinked communications have allowed the system of systems approach. Artificial Intelligence (AI) supports speedier decision-making.

NEXT GENERATION FIGHTERS