(HT)
Chief of Air Staff and Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Thursday raised serious concerns over persistent delays in defence projects, highlighting the systemic issue of unrealistic timelines and their impact on operational readiness.
During his address at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, Air Chief Marshal pointed at the recurring pattern of delays in project execution and criticised the practice of committing to unachievable deadlines.
His remarks come in the context of the reported ongoing challenges with projects like the delivery of the aircraft, which has faced criticism from the Air Chief for failing to meet timelines.
“Timelines is a big issue… Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time. This is something that we have to look at,” Singh stated, adding, “Why should we promise something that cannot be achieved? While signing the contract itself, sometimes we are sure that it is not going to come up. But we just sign the contract. Then the process gets vitiated,” said Air Marshal Singh.
The Air Chief also hailed Operation Sindoor as a “national victory”, emphasising the operation’s success as a testament to the collective efforts of the armed forces, agencies, and every Indian citizen.
Singh also urged all stakeholders–army, navy, air force, industry, and DRDO–to remain strong links in the national security chain, ensuring no weak points compromise the system.
Air Chief Marshal Singh also called for stronger collaboration with private industry, noting the recent clearance for private participation in the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme as a significant step.
