Aerospace Power in Asia's New Security Environment

Contents: 1. Asia’s New Security Environment and Great Power Competition/Anil Chopra. Part I: Strategic Environment Scan of Aerospace Capabilities. 2. IAF Changing Dynamics/Swaim Prakash Singh. 3. Indigenous Military Aviation: Production, Eco-systems and Expanding Potential/Savinder Pal Singh. 4. PLA Air Force and Rocket Forces: Implications and Options for India/Joshy M Paul. 5. Pakistan Air Force Advancements: Implications and Options for Indian Air Force/Dinesh Kumar Pandey. Part II: Air Power in India’s Extended Neighbourhood. 6. Air Power in Japan’s Changing Security Posture/Mahima Duggal. 7. The Evolving Defence of Taiwan/Mrittika Guha Sarkar. 8. Air War in Ukraine: Lessons Learnt/Vijay Shankar Rana. 9. Militarisation of the Arab World and India’s Options/Anu Sharma. Part III: New Dimensions and Domains of Modern Aerial Warfare. 10. Key Issues Explained: Space Militarisation and Weaponisation/Arvind Pandey. 11. Flying in the Cyber Storm: Challenges of Cyber Security for the Air Force/Divyanshu Jindal and Khyati Singh. 12. A Historical and Technical Assessment of the Hyperbolic around the Hypersonic/Abhishek Saxena. SPECIAL CHAPTER: Capturing Veterans’ Stories. Special Heli Borne Operations in the 1971 ‘Liberation War’: A Personal Reflection/Pushp Vaid.

Over the last decade, the world has undergone transformational changes with the centre of gravity shifting from the West to the East. The economic dynamism of the Asian continent has made it a robust engine for global growth and prosperity, giving credence to claims that we are now moving into the ‘Asian Century’. Yet, the changing nature of conflicts and the ever-evolving geopolitical landscape has made stability and security in Asia (and the Indo-Pacific region at large) precarious. China’s rise as an economic and geopolitical powerhouse has been accompanied by growing military strength and a willingness to employ aggressive (if not belligerent) strategies and tactics to achieve its interests. At the same time, instability in Pakistan, tensions over the Taiwan Strait, the war in Ukraine, and the militarisation in West Asia contribute to the delicate balance of security in the region. The acknowledgement of space as a war-fighting domain, combined with the rapid growth in defence technologies, has further complicated the defence landscape in Asia and the Indo-Pacific today. Against this background, this year’s edition of the Asian Defence Review focuses on aerospace power in Asia’s changing security environment. It originates from CAPS’ research focus on India’s extended neighbourhood—the Indo-Pacific region—and aerospace power. It presents the perspectives of a cross-section of authors, who are experts in their respective domains, to paint a picture of the defence.