Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy has said the Indian Air Force will phase out the MiG aircraft by 2012 and replace it with Advanced Jet Trainers.
"The ageing MIG fighter is still the mainstay of the IAF. About 70 to 80 in number will be phased out by 2012 and would be substituted by British aerospace hawk AJT," Krishnaswamy told reporters last night.
On acquiring AJTs, Krishnaswamy said 21 of them would be delivered by the British company while the rest would be manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Close on the heels of Indo-US joint air force exercise, the IAF was exploring the possibility of holding a similar exercise with France and Singapore, subject to government clearance.
About the Indo-US exercise, Krishnaswamy said the US Air Force had appreciated the skills and combat tactics of our men and their superior control over the machine.
IAF indeed gained air supremacy over US F-16 aircraft on a few occasions, he added.
"We no more overhaul the ageing MIG fighters due for retirement," he added.
Krishnaswamy also said IAF would send its pilots to the United Kingdom for training on Hawk AJTs soon.
Krishnaswamy said India was the only country in the world to operate wiper engines, MiG-21s and vintage aircraft. It is the last which uses Jaguars while some advanced countries have phased it out, he said.
Complimenting the Head Quarters Maintenance Command(HQMC), Krishnaswamy said vintage aircraft were flying since they were properly maintained and overhauled by it.
On the IAF's priorities, Krishnaswamy said the force would be focussing on human resource and inventory.
The best talent should come to IAF irrespective of the pay packets offered by private sector.
"We are looking for the right personnel with positive attitude," he added.
Earlier, releasing a coffee-table book 'Eklavya' brought out by HQMC, Krishnaswamy said the command is a jewel in IAF's crown. The engineering and logistics together form one strong pillar to keep the aeroplanes afloat, he said.
He recalled many illustrious tasks achieved by the HQMC during the 1965 and 1971 wars.