Indian Air Power: Contemporary and Future Dynamics

Over a century of its existence, air power has created its own salience as an independent military instrument of force and a vital component of national security. Its unique capabilities and place in a country's security and military strategies, have long been acknowledged and leveraged globally. Over the last ninety-one years since its inception, the Indian Air Force (IAF), as the true keeper of the nation's air power, has been steadfast in defending the skies and serving the country in war and peace. Given the challenges to India's growth trajectory and rise in power in a turbulent geo-political environment, the book analyses the wider role of air power in the multi-dimensional and rapidly evolving dynamics of modern warfare. This book provides an insider perspective of the IAF, as it looks at Indian air power from a holistic 360 view, provides an honest assessment of its operational legacy, and establishes its unique contemporary and future capabilities. The collection is a study of the wide range of the kinetic and non-kinetic applications of air power, which covers the entire spectrum of war, no-war-no-peace, and peace. It also offers an extensive analysis of Indian air power's vital offensive strategic role and its joint warfare credentials. It's future place as an invaluable instrument of asymmetric deterrence in India's continental security, and its inadequately leveraged array of hard and soft power future options in the maritime domain towards regional peace and security, are extensively discussed in the book. The book will be of immense value for policy makers, defence services, strategic community, as well as all students of national security, strategy and air power.