'Not a single project completed on time': IAF chief demands timely delivery of defence procurements

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Thursday emphasized the need for greater accountability and urgency in India’s defence procurement and manufacturing ecosystem. He highlighted persistent delays in project timelines as delivery deadlines are seldom met.

 

The Air Chief Marshal, while speaking at an event at the national capital, let his disappointment known about delivery deadlines being consistently not met when it comes to defence projects. He reportedly went to the extent of saying he was unable to recollect a single delivery that was made on time and that the IAF signed contracts well aware of the fact that the deadlines were not going to be met. 

 

"Many times, we know while signing contracts that those systems will never come. Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time... Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved?" he reportedly asked.

 

Such instances undermine capacity-building efforts and weaken the overall strategic posture of the armed forces. In his own words, "The process gets vitiated,” as he urged all stakeholders to seriously reflect on the credibility of their commitments.

 

 

According to Amar Preet Singh, defence systems must begin to be designed and developed in India, instead of just being produced. If the country manages to reach the stage of mass production, capacity will naturally follow. Singh noted that the foundation for this objective to be attained must be the trust between the forces and the local industry. "We need to start designing and developing in India also and when it comes to producing in numbers, the capacity comes in. So we need to have this trust between the forces and the industry to continue," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

 

In February, the Air Chief had expressed growing concerns over Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). According to a Times Of India (TOI) report, he had said that his confidence in the defence PSU continued to erode due to its inability to address delays in the delivery and upgrades of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. “You have to alleviate our worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen,” Singh had said according to the daily.

 

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh became the Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force on September 30, 2024, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari. Prior to this appointment, Singh served as the 47th Vice Chief of the Air Staff from February 1, 2023. 

Defence