NEW DELHI: Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Thursday issued a strong call for accountability and urgency within India’s defence procurement and manufacturing ecosystem, citing constant delays in project timelines.
Speaking at an event in Delhi, Air Chief expressed deep concern over the consistent failure of defence projects to meet delivery deadlines. "Many times, we know while signing contracts that those systems will never come. Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time," he said, questioning why unrealistic timelines are promised at the time of contract signing. "Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved?" he said.
He highlighted the detrimental effects such practices have on capacity-building and the broader strategic posture of the armed forces. "The process gets vitiated,” Singh noted, urging all stakeholders to reflect seriously on the credibility of their commitments.
Air Chief called for a stronger partnership between the armed forces and Indian industry, stressing the need to move beyond manufacturing and focus on indigenous design and development in defence.
“We must begin designing and developing defence systems in India, not just producing them,” he said. “Once we reach the stage of mass production, capacity naturally follows. But the foundation must be trust, between the forces and industry, to make this possible.”
Quoting famous Salman Khan dialogue to underline the seriousness of commitment, he added: “
Ek baar jo humne commit kiya hain, fir mein apne aap ki bhi nahi sunta.” (Once we’ve made a commitment, we don’t even listen to ourselves.)
Singh also emphasised the enduring centrality of air power in military operations. “Whether it’s land or naval warfare, air power remains indispensable. Any kind of operation, as demonstrated in Operation Sindoor, is incomplete without it,” he said.
In a rare moment of candour, the Air Chief also touched upon the culture of restraint within the defence forces, saying the services have often refrained from calling out underperformance explicitly. “Even defence forces have been keeping this restraint of not calling, you know, a black sheep, a black sheep,” he said, warning that such restraint cannot continue indefinitely.
The Chief’s remarks come as India increasingly looks to the private sector to shoulder a greater role in defence production under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. Quoting Winston Churchill, Singh urged the private sector to seize this pivotal moment.
“Each day comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do something special,” he said. “What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared for that which could have been their finest hour.”
In a passionate appeal, he challenged Indian industry leaders to rise above short-term profits and contribute meaningfully to the country’s defence preparedness. “If today somebody is manufacturing world-class cars, world-class electronics, world-class equipment in the civil domain, why can't that industry or some of the industry join together and say we will make world-class military equipment?” he said.
“This is your tap on the shoulder. Please rise to the occasion,” he said.
“We must now focus on becoming future-ready—that is the real concern,” Singh said. He noted that while the Indian industry and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) may deliver more over the next decade, the immediate needs of today cannot be postponed.
Earlier, the Air Chief had said his confidence in defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) continues to erode over its failure to fix delays in delivery and upgrades to the light combat aircraft Tejas. "You have to alleviate (our) worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen," Singh had said in February.
"I can tell you (HAL) what our requirements and worries are," he was heard saying in a video, purportedly referring to the PSU.
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