IAF chief seeks greater defence engagements with Global South

New Delhi: One of India’s senior most military leaders on Friday suggested greater defence engagements with countries in the Global South for ensuring “regional stability” besides opening up potential markets for home-grown military products.

“Platforms like Light Combat Aircraft, Light Combat Helicopter and Akash missiles offer competitive and reliable options for air forces of the Global South, boosting India’s economic and technological clout,” Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said here.

Delivering a lecture at the Centre for Air Power Studies, the Indian Air Force chief said engagements with such countries would be “crucial for tackling shared security challenges and ensuring regional stability.”

New Delhi has been projecting itself as a leading force in the Global South, raising issues concerning the poor and developing nations at multilateral fora like G20.

“We are witnessing resilience and sustained economic growth by countries of the Global South. By 2030, it is projected that the top 10 largest economies will be from this group, India being one amongst them. While there are challenges, the future also promises many opportunities,” he said.

Describing air power as a symbol of national strength, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said, “Our air power engagements with the countries of the Global South have allowed us to exchange best practices, improve interoperability and build trust. These engagements are crucial for tackling shared security challenges and ensuring regional stability.”

The IAF has a long tradition of training Air Force cadets from countries belonging to the Global South and more than 5,000 cadets from such countries were trained in the last nine years. The IAF now plans to create short term courses tailored to their requirements.

Flagging the potential of indigenous defence industries, ACM Chaudhari said platforms like LCA, LCH and Akash would offer competitive and reliable options for air forces of the Global South, boosting India’s economic and technological clout. Further, establishing joint ventures with these nations can be mutually beneficial.

“This could involve co-development of components, sharing production facilities and creating regional maintenance and support hubs. Capability development in the areas of global supply chains, creating manufacturing hubs and setting up MROs are some areas that we need to concentrate on,” he said.

The IAF has undertaken humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in several Global South nations like Sudan, Syria and Nepal. “Providing logistics support for environmental conservation and resource management programmes can elevate our cooperation and leadership role to the next level,” ACM Chaudhari said.