The vice-chief of the Indian Air Force on Friday said “atmanirbharta (self-reliance) cannot be at the cost of the nation’s defence”, speaking out at a time the Centre is pushing its Make-in-India policy in the defence sector.

Air Marshal A.P. Singh underlined that he fully supported the drive towards self-reliance in defence, but flagged the deficiencies in domestic defence manufacturing and said “Atma Nirbhar Bharat should not just be a buzzword”.

The IAF faces a shortage of fighter aircraft amid a delay in the delivery of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft, being made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

“Atmanirbharta is what we are riding on…. But this atmanirbharta cannot be at the cost of the nation’s defence. The nation’s defence comes first and foremost,” Singh said at a seminar organised by the IAF think tank, the Centre for Air Power Studies.

He said the IAF had given out defence contracts worth Rs 112,000 crore and another Rs 275,000 crore worth of contracts was in the pipeline. The majority of the contracts, he said, were with Indian partners and industries.

“If the Indian Air Force or Indian forces have to ride on this atmanirbharta, it is only possible if everyone — from the Defence Research and Development Organisation to the defence public sector undertakings to private industry — holds the hand and... don’t let us deviate from that path.

“Because when it comes to national defence, there will be compulsions to deviate from their path in case we do not get the things that we need or the kind of system and weaponry that is required to survive in today’s world.

“So, my humble request... is that let’s put a system in place where we are helping each other out in achieving the overall goal.... If we have to defend the nation, it is everybody’s job; it is not just the job of a person in uniform.”

Around 65 to 70 per cent of the IAF’s fighter aircraft are Russian, and most of them either need urgent upgrades or are on the verge of retirement. Having foreign aircraft also means staying dependent on other countries for parts and components.

Against an authorised strength of 42 fighter squadrons, the IAF currently has 31. Each squadron has an average 18 aircraft, which means the IAF has 558 fighters, 198 short of the required 756.

The IAF last month flagged to HAL its concern at the slow pace of the Tejas programme, saying a delayed induction could affect the force’s combat-effectiveness and urging timely execution of the Rs 48,000-crore contract for 83 Tejas jets.

“If geopolitics has a lesson — it is to be self-reliant. Atma Nirbhar Bharat should not just be a buzzword but it should be our overriding concern and pursued holistically in letter and spirit,” Singh said.

He said stakeholders must put “heart and soul into” ensuring that key defence technologies and weapons “are all developed and manufactured in India”.

“(This is) so that we don’t rely on an outside agency that could change its alliance, that could stop the flow of weapons to our country and put us on the mat when the time comes,” he said.

Reacting to Singh’s comments, a military veteran said: “It’s really courageous of him to have held up a mirror to the government.... Instead of making tall claims, the government needs to build indigenous capability.”

A former major general highlighted that India remained the world’s largest arms importer.

The domestic defence players include HAL, the Adanis, Anil Ambani, the Tatas, the Hindujas, L&T, the Kalyani Group and Mahindra Aerospace.