After Surgical Strikes on LoC, a New Role for India’s Aviators?

There is a need for significant changes in terms of equipment, infrastructure, and training for Army Aviation.

Although the consequences of the Indian military’s surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) are yet to be fully realised, one thing is clear: India’s aviators may play a more enhanced role in India’s combat operations. Until now, the military’s utilisation of its helicopters in an offensive capacity offensive was limited due to, both, capability and operational requirement.

Significant Changes Needed for Army Aviation

The Indian Army Aviation Corps is fairly unique in terms of the composition and distribution of its equipment. The Indian military is the only military where the helicopters are distributed almost proportionally between the Army and the Air Force. In fact, the People’s Liberation Army and Pakistani Army maintain control over a sizeable majority over the helicopters in their respective militaries. In this context, it is worth highlighting that the majority of helicopters under the Army’s command are only light helicopters and would mostly be unable to facilitate most of the operational requirements of an Army Aviation Corps. For example, the lack of medium-lift helicopters that can facilitate troop transport significantly, hampers a commander’s ability to move his troops quickly.

It is also worth pointing out that attack helicopters, despite being under the Army’s operational control, are effectively manned and operated by the Indian Air Force. These operational inconsistencies have created a fundamental dissonance between the Army Aviation’s operational objectives and capabilities. Thus, there is an urgent need to consolidate Army Aviation’s operational requirements with its capabilities to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness.

The Indian Army Aviation (and Air Force) operate in diverse and, at times, hostile environments from the Himalayas to the Thar Desert. Thus, creating a set of unique needs and requirements that need to be addressed. To this end, its current fleet of light helicopters meets its requirement for operability in high altitudes. These requirements, however, are compounded by the need for Army Aviation to be able to respond to developing challenges, such as the need to be able to respond to cross-border terrorism and undertake counter-insurgency operations.

Not only is there a need for significant changes in terms of equipment, infrastructure, and training, but there is also a need for a well-defined operational posture to determine the future of Army Aviation. Unless such a posture is determined, Army Aviation would be unable to efficiently purchase and allocate resources towards a particular purpose.

Army Aviation Corps Falling Behind

Early reports of the surgical strike reveal that the operation was carried out by a combination of ground and heli-borne forces, most likely in the form of an air assault. This represents a considerable shift from the status quo wherein aviators took on a ‘passive’ role in combat operations, usually behind the frontlines. In this context, the Army Aviation Corps was utilised primarily for support activities such as reconnaissance, combat support, and Search & Rescue. This new ‘active’ role may see the Army Aviation Corps taking on a more aggressive posture with an emphasis on speed and agility. Thus, the formation of specialised air assault units modelled along the lines of the United States Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) would be a model fit to be emulated and may see the Army Aviation Corps operating almost exclusively in an air assault capacity.

Such an approach would also respect the Indian Air Force’s desire to maintain operational control over attack and medium-lift helicopters because it would see Army Aviation operate utility helicopters. It would particularly be effective for counter-insurgency and air assault operations and could see increasing relevance with respect to cross-border operations.

There is no denying that the Indian Army Aviation has come a long way from its humble beginnings. From its utilisation as an Air Observation Post to its contemporary role as an integral part of Combined Arms Team, Army Aviation’s role, mandate, and utility has expanded greatly and continues to do so.

Given India’s operational needs, however, there is an undeniable need to facilitate and enable the Corps to fulfill its purpose. Although the Army Aviation Corps continues to be fairly efficient and operationally effective, in terms of equipment, it is falling behind not only most global militaries, but also Pakistan and China. There is a pressing need to replace the ageing Cheetahs and Chetaks with aircraft that address the intended vision of the Army Aviation Corps. As the Army Aviation expands, there is a need to define its operational posture for the Corps to decipher how it fits into the larger picture of the Indian military’s doctrine. Unless it is able to define an integrated operational philosophy, the potential for the Army Aviation’s continued progress is certainly limited.

Need for Integrated Operational Philosophy

In addition to developing a defined operational posture for the Army Aviation Corps, there is an indubitable need for the formulation of an integrated operational philosophy between all three services, especially the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. As the Army Aviation looks to expand its operational posture and equipment, there is a need to understand what particular needs and resources are required between the services to ensure that there is no overlap of functions. In this regard, there is significant need for inter-service integration and joint planning to ensure an efficient allocation of resources. In addition to the three services, a critical player in the development of such an approach would have to be the Ministry of Defence, which emphatically needs to step up when required.

Along with inter-service joint planning, there is a pressing need for the Army to develop the Army Aviation’s mandate by keeping the Air Force’s concerns in consideration. There is an undeniable need to services respect and do not encroach upon the delineated “turfs” of other services. Such an approach would be required to remove the entrenchment mentality of the Air Force that has developed on the issue of the expansion of the Army Aviation.

(Pranay Ahluwalia is an analyst based in Doha. You can follow him on Twitter @PranAhl. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)