China is continuously increasing its military strength, it is not hidden even from India. Regarding this, the Ministry of Defense clearly believes that China is actually equaling America. Due to this, the Air Force has a shortage of fighter planes according to the way the threat has arisen on the double front from China and Pakistan.
This is probably the first time that the Defense Ministry has explicitly compared China’s power to that of the US in a parliamentary committee meeting. This point has also been mentioned in the report of the committee tabled in Parliament in mid-March.
India does not have sufficient number of fighter planes
Actually, the discussion was going on regarding the budget to be given to the Air Force, on which it was said by the Ministry of Defense that the number of fighter jets we have right now is not enough to challenge the two rivals. To counter them, the Air Force will have to procure long-range weapons. For this the existing budget resources will not only be used, but additional funds will also be needed. It is also necessary to maintain the existing operational capacity.
China is spending a lot on defense
As per the details recorded in the report, the issue of paucity of resources and imminent double-fronted challenge did not stop here. The Defense Ministry representative said that China is spending too much on defense. Therefore the scope of its danger is also very large. In fact, it is matching America and trying to overtake it.
The Defense Ministry representative said that the Defense Minister ordered that India should have the ability to resist China. Accordingly, the government is making allocations, but still some shortcomings remain, which will have to be reduced gradually.
What are the challenges?
>> The Air Force needs 42 squadrons of fighter aircraft to meet the dual front challenges, but only 32 squadrons are available at present.
>> A squadron consists of 18 aircraft. Thus, the Air Force currently has a shortage of 180 fighter planes. Four squadrons are of MiGs which are old.
India ranks third in defense expenditure
China’s defense budget is more than three times that of India. According to data from the US Congressional Budget Office, China spent $293 billion on defense in 2021, while India’s expenditure stood at just $76.6 billion. The US spent the most, $801 billion. India ranks third in terms of defense expenditure.