Airpower Can Bring Asymmetric Results
“Pakistan Army’s plan of armoured thrust was brilliant. But they didn’t factor in airpower. They thought what could half a squadron sitting in Jaisalmer do? It was their mistake. Airpower can bring asymmetric results if time and place are chosen correctly,” he said
Airpower can bring asymmetric results if the time and place are chosen correctly, said Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Thursday.
The Air Chief was speaking at the Air Force Museum today after he released retired Air Marshal Bharat Kumar’s book ‘The Epic Battle of Longewala’.
The Air Chief Marshal said the Pakistan Army’s plan of armoured thrust on Jaisalmer’s Longewala was brilliant, but the enemy force’s mistake was not factoring in India’s airpower.
“Pakistan Army’s plan of armoured thrust was brilliant. But they didn’t factor in airpower. They thought what could half a squadron sitting in Jaisalmer do? It was their mistake. Airpower can bring asymmetric results if time and place are chosen correctly,” he said.
He also complimented the retired Air Marshal for writing the book and said it is important that people write on battles and put the facts on record which can be read by the future generations.
ACM said that such books would give a better understanding of the battle to the current and future generations.
“I think this will really be an important study material in order to understand in terms of thinking,” he said.
The Battle of Longewala took place in December 1971 in the Thar desert of Rajasthan. The new book of the epic battle, launched on the Golden Jubilee year of the 1971 war, gives candid details about how events unfolded during the battle of Longewala.
In view of the above, it becomes prudent for a Two Fro t War to provide the IAF with minimum of 54 fighter squadrons. This will permit the IAF to maintain air parity on one of the Fronts and simultaneously carry out DEEP strikes on the other Front. For simultaneous DEEP strikes on both the Fronts without anxiety, there will be a need of 63 Squadrons.
