Addressing the annual press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8, Air Chief Marshal Singh said the force needed to induct 36 to 40 fighter aircraft every year to address the shortage in squadron strength. He said delays in the induction of Tejas Mk-1A fighters were “hurting” the IAF as its fighter numbers continued to decline. The IAF currently has around 30 fighter squadrons against an authorised strength of 42 following the retirement of the MiG-21 fleet. Singh said he hoped the IAF would eventually receive 24 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft annually from state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), along…
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