WEAPONS ON RENT

Leasing military equipment from global players could help the Indian armed forces in the short term

- PRADIP R. SAGAR

LAST APRIL, during his visit to France, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, the then Air Force chief, pitched an idea-he wanted to rent an Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft (MRTT) instead of buying one.

In 2020, a batch of the Air Force's Rafales had flown non-stop (almost 7,000 km) from France to India with mid-air refuelling; the A330 MRTTS of the French and UAE air forces had helped do that.

The Air Force had made multiple unsuccessful attempts since 2007 to buy mid-air refuelling jets, but budget was always a hurdle. So, now, the Air Force is leasing an A330 MRTT from France.

The IAF might go in for five more A330 MRTTs later. Currently, the force operates six Russian Ilyushin-I178 refuelling tankers, but these are facing service issues. Mid-air refuellers also help overcome the depleted combat strength, to some extent, as they allow the existing fleet to remain in the sky for longer.

Meanwhile, the Army, in 2021, finalised the lease of four advanced Heron Mark-II medium-altitude long endurance UAVs from Israel for better surveillance on the IndiaChina border amid the military standoff in Ladakh.

In 2020, the Narendra Modi government came out with new regulations that allow leasing of military equipment from friendly nations to plug critical operational deficiencies amid growing threats on the borders. Defence experts believe that operational preparedness and indigenisation do not go hand in hand. And so, India needs answers in the short term.

There are two types of lease-dry and wet. The former allows use in wartime; the latter, in peacetime.

India's new set of regulations allows for dry lease and, according to the new rules, provides a useful way to substitute huge initial capital outlays with periodical rental payments.

Leasing would include the cost of maintenance during the lease period. In case of a crash, the entire cost would have to be paid to the foreign firm.