Why it is in the news
On 7 October 2026, the eve of the Indian Air Force’s 94th anniversary (8 October), Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh told air warriors and veterans at the Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park, New Delhi, that the IAF is moving “in the right direction” but “can be a little faster”, and needs “greater capacity, faster induction and more combat mass”. He said the force has shifted from a platform-centric to a capability-centric approach, which “proved its worth” in Operation Sindoor, and flagged delays in the LCA Mk-1A programme. He retires this month; Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is to succeed him.
The exam angle
Issue: A persistent fighter-squadron shortfall threatens India’s air deterrence against a two-front threat even as the IAF modernises its doctrine.