CAPS Journals Centre for Air Power Studies
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Affordable Air Power in an Era of Guns Versus Butter
No full textWe live in an era in which air power has become indispensable: it is used for a variety of missions; its users range from the armed forces to the civilian security sector; and it is also extremely expensive. Air power is no longer the sole function of air forces or restricted to the use of combat aircraft. In the United States, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has built its own air force and used it to eliminate terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. Police forces around the world now use unmanned aircraft for monitoring and surveillance, while border security forces employ them to track illegal immigration and trans-border crime. Yet, at the same time, buying and maintaining aircraft has become an increasingly expensive business—especially for democracies that have to balance the needs of the armed forces with the more immediate social welfare needs of domestic societies. Thus, in India, for over a decade, thedefence budget has stagnated at around 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (and this includes the pensions paid to the veterans). The question then arises: how do you build up your air power to cover both external and internal security situations in an age of budgetary constraints
Low-Tech/Lower Cost Solutions to High-Tech Problems: Facing the China Conundrum
No full textThe research article "Low-Tech/Lower Cost Solutions to High-Tech Problems: Facing the China Conundrum" by Group Captain Uttar Kumar explores pragmatic, low-technology strategies for the Indian armed forces, particularly the Indian Air Force (IAF), to counter China\u27s technologically advanced military capabilities amid growing tensions along disputed borders. Highlighting China’s military modernization under informatised conditions and its Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2AD) strategy, driven by an aging population and a desire to assert superpower status by 2049, the paper argues that India must bridge the technological gap with affordable and adaptable solutions. Drawing from historical examples like the Taliban and Vietnamese MiG-21 successes against superior forces, it emphasizes the resilience and cost-effectiveness of low-tech options. The article outlines defensive measures such as using carrier pigeons, pack animals, smoke screens, and 3D printing for logistics, alongside pharmacological aids like modafinil to enhance troop alertness, to mitigate China’s denial tactics in communication, logistics, and precision strikes.
In its offensive scope, the paper proposes unconventional tactics to disrupt China’s high-tech advantage, including deploying trained birds of prey to neutralize unmanned aerial systems (UAS), leveraging existing radio towers for jamming enemy communications, and utilizing cell towers for intelligence gathering and denial operations. It also suggests remote gun positions with simple trigger mechanisms in mountainous terrain to maximize firepower with minimal troop exposure. These low-tech solutions, characterized by affordability, reliability, and flexibility, aim to complement India’s ongoing modernization efforts until full Network-Centric Warfare (NCW) capability is achieved. The article concludes that integrating such measures enhances adaptability and fosters innovation, ensuring the Indian armed forces remain effective against a superior adversary like China in evolving warfare scenarios
Editor\u27s Note
No full textWith increasing demands and proliferation of aerial platforms, the requirements of air power have increased manifold in the last decade. The types of aircraft, both manned and unmanned, have multiplied, the air space has become dense and congested, and the aerial platforms of today are able to perform a variety of roles and tasks, with some platforms even being designed to perform specific roles. Airpower in all its facets, military, commercial, training, surveillance, disaster relief, logistics, medical, and agriculture, to name a few, has not only become an inescapable but also an inalienable part of our daily lives. The escalating costs of modern aerial platforms like the F-35, Su-57, Rafale, J-20, and J-31 fighter aircraft have placed increasing demands on national defence budgets that have struggled to keep pace with slow rates of economic growth coupled with rising inflation. India has its own concerns, faced with a two-nation threat and the increasing demands of indigenisation or ‘aatmanirbharta’ that are yet to pick up the desired pace
Blue on Blue: Fratricide in War
No full textFratricide in war, in which personnel are killed or hurt by fire from “friendly forces” or forces fighting on their own side, is more common than is generally known. The word fratricide is derived from the Latin words frater meaning brother, and caedare meaning to kill. Another word for fratricide is amicide, derived similarly from ami, meaning friend.Military forces in every nation are acutely aware that they are constantly handling weapons that can cause the most unspeakably terrifying injuries. They are conscious of the issue of fratricide and institute measures to prevent or mitigate the chances of friendly fire incidents. But unknown to most, such incidents are surprisingly common, and misinformation can affect the morale of the fighting forces and the mood of an entire nation at war. For this reason it is essential that the larger public, outside of the armed forces, has some awareness of how and why friendly fire accidents can happen, how common they have been in the past, and what can be done to avoid them. 
Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art of War: Robert Coram
No full textThis biography of John Boyd, a United States Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot, written by Robert Coram, a news reporter and journalist twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, was first published by Little, Brown and Company, USA, in November 2002. The success of the book was such that it changed the course of Coram’s career, with the publisher giving him a contract of two more books with the stipulation that they were to be military biographies
Failed Ukrainian Counter-Offensive and Role Played by Russian Aerospace Forces
No full textThe Ukrainian Counter-Offensive: The ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive aims to cut the Russian land corridor to Crimea (see Fig 1). To achieve this, the Ukrainians are employing their 9th and 10th Corps, both of which have been newly constituted by grouping the new equipment supplied generously by the West, including over 500 Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) and Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), including the Leopard-2, Challenger-2, Marder, Stryker, Bradley, etc. To support this complement in battle, the West has also supplied the Ukrainians with a large number of long range and precision strike artillery and trained thousands of Ukrainian troops in various Western countries on the use of this equipment. The Ukrainians’ plan is similar to their plan of 2022 which saw them use mobile elements supported by infantry break the continuity of the Russian defences, followed up by the use of manoeuvre for establishing deep thrusts in the Russian held territory, thereby, creating an all-round criticality which forced the Russians to withdraw
Political Drivers of China’s Changing Nuclear Policy: Implications for US-China Nuclear Relations and International Security by Tong Zhao
No full textTong Zhao’s book, Political Drivers of China\u27s Changing Nuclear Policy: Implications for U.S.-China Nuclear Relations and International Security, offers a fresh perspective on China’s nuclear modernization, emphasizing political motivations over traditional strategic or technical rationales. Zhao argues that under Xi Jinping’s leadership, nuclear weapons have gained heightened political significance, serving as tools to enhance China’s great power status and address broader strategic challenges, rather than merely responding to U.S. missile defenses or military advancements. By analyzing authoritative Chinese military texts and Xi’s centralized decision-making framework, Zhao highlights how domestic political dynamics—such as regime security and a growing sense of existential threats—drive China’s nuclear expansion. This shift, he contends, reflects a deeper ambition to counter perceived U.S. hostility and secure political stability, though it complicates U.S.-China nuclear relations due to differing views on strategic stability and mutual misperceptions.
The book further explores the implications of China’s nuclear policy for bilateral relations and international security, identifying challenges like information gaps, ambiguous core interests, and the marginalization of technical expertise in China’s policymaking. Zhao critiques the U.S. failure to grasp China’s logic linking nuclear strength to political conciliation and proposes bilateral measures—such as acknowledging perception gaps and establishing behavioral principles inspired by Cold War precedents—to foster stability. He also offers targeted recommendations: the U.S. should clarify its nuclear posture, while China must articulate how nuclear weapons ensure political stability and consider non-military alternatives. Javed Alam praises the book as a vital resource for nuclear experts and policymakers, providing a nuanced lens into China’s evolving nuclear strategy beyond conventional military narratives
Editor\u27s Note
No full textThe editor\u27s note provides an analysis of global geopolitical dynamics, focusing on the post-Cold War era, the rise of China and Russia\u27s military actions, and the evolving balance of power. It highlights Russia\u27s response to NATO\u27s expansion, the annexation of Crimea, and its subsequent invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in a stalemate despite significant Western support. The note also examines China\u27s growing influence, territorial disputes, and its global economic and military ambitions. It touches on the shifting alliances and security concerns in West Asia, the security strategies of Japan, and the increasing importance of cyber warfare. The note concludes by reviewing India\u27s foreign policy, its dynamic relations with neighboring countries, and the need for continued strategic studies in aerospace
A Comprehensive Analysis of Prospects of Development of New Airports in India
No full textAirports serve as promoters of development as much as they serve as its indicators. Strategically locating airports helps improve regional connectivity and accessibility, enabling the efficient movement of people and goods, boosting tourism, enhancing trade, and facilitating economic development across various regions. Airports promote cross-pollination of ideas, catalyse need-resource matching, and enable uninhibited flow of human capital. Strategic airport allocation that is in synchronisation with overall national and regional development roadmaps serves to invigorate holistic regional growth, create multi-factor developmental synergies, and contributes to reduction of regional disparities.
Airport development has the potential to create employment opportunities, stimulate local businesses, attract investments, and spark compounding secondary, tertiary, and quaternary economic growth. Choosing a location with consideration for multi-layered socio-economic aspects ensures that the airport can contribute to the development of the surrounding area, precipitating positive social impacts by improving connectivity and accessibility, benefiting local communities, and enhancing overall quality of life. While performing this analysis, it is germane to envision how these local benefits would translate to, and tie in with, overall regional development and, in turn, fit into the bigger picture of state-level optimal planning, and ultimately be placed in the national context
