Advanced Jet Trainer before year-end 8212; Air Chief

Tipnis said that there was no relationship between the events in Kargil and the priority accorded for the AJT, 8220;But the awareness that the IAF has to be at the pinnacle of readiness has been underlined very strongly,8221; he emphasised.

8220;The choice of the aircraft company has been made earlier,8221; Tipnis said alluding to the British Hawk-2000 AJT and the French Alpha jet. This choice would be irrespective of the aircraft that may have come later, he said in a possible reference to newer under-development AJT8217;s like the Russian MiG-AT.

First proposed by the IAF way back in the mid-80s, AJT fulfill the critical requirement of training a pilot before he flies frontline jetfighters. The lack of an AJT has been responsible for the high pilot and aircraft losses sustained by the IAF, amongst the highest in the world.

Presently the IAF fulfills this training role using the MiG-21 FL. 8220;The oldest variant of the MiG-21 which requires a very high level of proficiency, which is a good fighter but not a very good training aircraft,8221; Tipnis said. The MiG-21 FL had reached the end of its operational life and had to be phased out in the next two to three years.

8220;The AJT will also give us additional capabilities to operate within tight confines,8221; the air chief said, referring to its use in Kargil-type situations.

When asked whether the use of the IAF in the 1962 war with China would have turned the tide, Tipnis replied in the affirmative. 8220;I believe had we been allowed, then things could have been much different,8221; he said recounting his days as a young pilot in a squadron of eight fully armed Hunter strike aircraft in Ambala in 1962. Tipnis8217; squadron was to be sent in to attackChinese positions in Chushul, but the orders never came.

During Operation Safed Sagar in Kargil, the IAF operated in extremely difficult conditions and several restraints. Tipnis flew in one the first few risky air sorties over Kargil. 8220;I didn8217;t participate, but I could see everything,8221; he revealed.

The IAF had made several deterrent preparations before striking in Kargil, which ensured that the Pakistan air force did not undertake any role. These included putting all of the IAF8217;s western airfields, from Thoise in Ladakh to those in Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, on maximum alert. 8220;We were prepared for any level of warfare.8221;

Tipnis admitted that the upgradation of the IAF8217;s 125 MiG-21 fighters was behind schedule. The first two prototypes had completed 40 test flights in Russia. After reaching their target of 50 sorties, the rest of the aircraft would be upgraded by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd HAL in India.

He confirmed that indigenous Airborne Warning and ControlSystems AWACS, capable of directing the air battle from the air, was on the anvil. 8220;We need to make up in all spheres, we have to be ready all the time,8221; he said.