The Hindu : dated April 1, 1953: Building Air Power

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Tuesday, Apr 01, 2003

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dated April 1, 1953: Building Air Power

Wing-Commander A.R. Pandit wrote in connection with Indian Air Force Day: "The Second World War showed that modern war is total war in which the entire populace of a country is involved as are the armed forces. Secondly, it showed that airpower has emerged as a winning factor. To come out victor in any war now, a nation must possess a strong and superior air force. Are India's Defence forces strong and effective enough? The Indian soldier, sailor, and airman have shown that they do not lack skills and courage and that, given the right equipment, they are second to none. Another lesson from the last War is that there should be a well-balanced Defence. The Army, Navy, and Air Force, must each within itself be well-balanced, and together too they should be in proper balance. Each Service should be so composed that it has the elements of offence and defence in the right proportion. Together, all the three Services must in balance support one another. India now has a large Army, a small Air Force, and a smaller Navy. This disparity must gradually be set aright. The Air Force and the Navy will need more money for buying equipment and maintaining them. By virtue of its qualities of speed, flexibility, range and hitting power, the Air Force has to play a bigger part in the defence of the country, and must have a larger share in Defence allocation.

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