Should Indian Air Force lease air refueling tankers ?

What is air to air refuelling ?

Air to air refuelling is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one military aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) during flight. It is an effective method of increasing the endurance and range of aircraft by refuelling them in flight. For detailed info please refer to our other post on AAR.

Why is Air to Air refueling tankers important for armed forces ?

Air Refueling Tankers support overseas deployments anywhere in the world at short notice and they need to provide in-theatre support to the receiver aircraft, meaning that they will have to be stealthy enough to avoid detection as they are bulky and cannot perform evasive maneuvers. 

Tankers play an important role in serving bombers, fighter jets and, more recently, drones. It allows air power to be used farther from home and concentrated where and when it is needed most. Aerial refueling also saves time because the aircraft doesn't have to land to refuel.

It also benefits aircraft operating on short runways, which have to limit their takeoff weight to be able clear the end of the runway. A tanker flying overhead can then refuel the plane once it's airborne.

Is leasing critical defence equipment the new trend ?

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is considering, for the first time, leasing aerial refuelling tanker aircraft to extend the reach of its fighter jets instead of a direct purchase against the backdrop of previous failed attempts to buy new tankers. The doors to leasing military hardware were opened for the first time last week with the government unveiling a draft policy on arms acquisition that allows the armed forces to go in for leased capability to cut down on costs associated with purchasing weapons and systems.

“The IAF has made two attempts to buy tankers during the last decade-and-a-half. On both occasions, we were close to signing the deal but things fell through because of the high acquisition cost. Leasing is a good option to fill the capability gap,” said one of the personnel of IAF.

The IAF operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Ilyushin-78  tankers that are plagued by maintenance problems and the force urgently needs at least six more.

“We are finalising the requirements for the proposed lease of tankers to boost our in-flight refuelling capabilities. We are looking at aspects such as whether we should opt for a wet [the lessor provides crew and maintenance] or dry lease. Leasing will be a better option as our budget is under pressure,” said a officer of IAF.

 

Leasing has been introduced in the draft Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)-2020 as a new category for acquisition in addition to the existing ‘Buy’ and ‘Make’ categories in order to substitute huge capital expenditures.It is permitted in two categories—where the lessor is an Indian entity and is the owner of the assets and where the lessor is a global entity. 

The interesting thing is that the latest Dassault Rafale fighter jets which were flown to India by IAF Pilots were assisted by two A330 Phoenix MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) French Air Force tankers. International cooperation can be expected from countries which are friendlies but during wartime we cannot speculate what will happen. 

The Indian Air force is ill equipped to support its jets, as a typical fighter jet has a limited range and cannot fly forever. Instead of leasing air refuelling tankers IAF should start procuring these tankers on permanent basis as then they will not be dependent upon help from other countries during a war situation. 

.