Air Chief Marshal Dixit rolls out ‘VAYU’ plan to rebuild IAF strength and push self‑reliance

Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the IAF’s 29th chief, on Sunday presented a ‘VAYU’ roadmap to restore the force to its sanctioned 42‑squadron combat strength and to push for greater indigenous capability. He said the security climate stays tough and that emerging tools such as drones, long‑range precision weapons, space assets, cyber tools, artificial intelligence and the electromagnetic spectrum are reshaping war. Dixit listed four pillars under the word VAYU. ‘V’ stands for vigilance and readiness; he stressed that every squadron, radar site, air‑defence unit and air‑crew must be able to act instantly. ‘A’ represents aatmanirbharta or self‑reliance, with the Tejas Mk1 and Mk1A fighters, the AMCA program and home‑grown sensors and weapons at the top of the acquisition list. ‘Y’ means yukti, or ingenuity, covering new doctrine, AI‑driven command networks, layered counter‑drone shields, faster maintenance, force protection, resilience and use of near‑space as an operational arena. ‘U’ denotes unity of effort, aligning the IAF’s plans with the Army, Navy and national agencies under the JAI vision of jointness, self‑reliance and innovation. He noted that the IAF’s current fighter strength falls short after the retirement of several MiG‑21 units and that additional squadrons are slated to retire by 2029‑30, while the Tejas induction has slipped. Dixit thanked his predecessor AP Singh (Retd) for handing over a force in high readiness. The chief, an experimental test pilot with over 3,500 flight hours on platforms such as Mirage 2000, MiG variants, Jaguar, Hawk and Tejas, has taken part in Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak and Operation Sindoor.

Context

India’s push for aatmanirbharta seeks to cut dependence on foreign defence gear, while JAI is the Ministry of Defence’s drive for joint operations across the three services. Restoring the sanctioned squadron count is seen as essential for credible deterrence in a region where neighbouring air forces are modernising rapidly.