IAF chief laments wait for arms

The chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Thursday put the spotlight on the armed forces' agonising wait for new weapons and systems, saying he could not recall a single instance of a project being executed on time — a wake-up call for the country's defence production sector.

- Rahul Singh

"Timelines are a big issue," Singh said, in his first public comments after the May 7-10 military confrontation with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.

The armed forces have so far not called "the black sheep" out, but their "restraint" should not be stretched to a breaking point, Singh said, issuing a veiled warning to defence public sector units including plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

"There's not a single project that I can think of that has been completed on time. We must look within. Why promise something that cannot be achieved. While signing the contract itself, sometimes we are sure that it (weapon or system) is not going to come.

But we just sign the contract with the mindset that we will see later what needs to be done. Obviously, the process gets vitiated," he said at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025.

Prominent speakers at the conference included defence minister Rajnath Singh and navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.

Key projects beset by delays include the light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A), the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, basic trainer aircraft and intermediate jet trainers among others.