IAF chief warns: 'Drones alone can't win wars, long-range precision strike capability is essential'

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday cautioned against overestimating the power of drones in modern warfare. While acknowledging their usefulness, he made it clear that drones alone cannot win wars. "We should not be drawing wrong lessons, I'm worried about that part. Drones are a very good means for many things. But I don't think just drones can win you wars. You will require the bigger weapons. You will require long-range weapons. You will require the precision strike capability because drones are more of a nuisance or for very short range small targets," Singh said, highlighting the limitations of drone technology.

Singh further addressed the ongoing debates about manned versus unmanned flight, noting that while artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are becoming integral in decision-making processes, humans must remain in control. "Man will remain in the loop... You may have a lot of AI coming in, machine learning coming in to help the man take a decision but as a decision-maker, man has to remain in the loop. And ethically so also. Tomorrow you can't blame the machine for taking a wrong decision," Singh said.

The Air Chief also acknowledged the increasing popularity of drones, especially among startups and the defense industry. However, he urged a balanced approach, suggesting that drones should be seen as a "stepping stone" rather than a sole solution. "Drone because of smaller systems...people are grabbing onto it including some industry also. Of course, this is a good way, good platform for our startups to start from, but they should only use it as a stepping stone. They can't expect that just drones and everything else will just disappear or fade away," Singh added.

Indigenisation is must

Addressing the issue of indigenisation, Singh stressed the importance of developing in-house capabilities to ensure self-reliance. "Indigenisation is mandatory. We can't wish away. We have to make sure that we have in-house capability and capacity," he said. He further explained that maintaining a healthy balance between stockpiling and manufacturing capabilities is crucial to ensure the country is prepared for prolonged conflicts. "We can't be storing things for how long the war is going to last. If we store items, they don't have life. We have to have a very healthy mix of keeping certain items available for immediate response and manufacturing capability building up," Singh concluded.

IAF shot down five Pakistani fighter jets

Singh also informed that the Indian Air Force shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and a large aircraft during Operation Sindoor, in the largest-ever recorded surface-to-air kill by India. "We have at least five fighters confirmed killed and one large aircraft, which could be either an aircraft or an AWC, which was taken at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about," he said. He also said that there were indications of at least one AWC in that AWC hangar, and a few F-16s, which are under maintenance there, were also being damaged.