BANGALORE: The IAF's desire to set up an aerospace command may not fructify in the near future with the Government deciding to hold wide-ranging deliberations. A month before he relinquishing office, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S. P. Tyagi conceded that this was the case.

Defence Minister A. K. Antony said at the ongoing Aero India 2007 exposition that any aerospace command would have representatives from all the three services and the Government would not act in haste.

Speaking to newspersons here on Thursday, the Air Chief conceded that wide-ranging consultations were required. After his predecessor Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy mooted the concept at the urging of a parliamentary panel five years ago, Air Chief Marshal Tyagi has been a strong votary, arguing, "It is time for India to have an aerospace command because our assets in space will grow. We in the IAF understand that they require to be protected."

Air Chief Marshal Tyagi even made a brief presentation of the concept to a group of officials from the services and the Defence Ministry in

2005, followed by a comprehensive articulation at the instance of the Government. This was a marked departure from the attitude of the National Democratic Alliance Government, which did not encourage the proposal for fear of inter-ministerial wrangling.

Parliamentary panel initiative

However, the initiative was taken by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, which said it was necessary to have the strategic apparatus in place to counter any threat to the country's space-based assets.

Mr. Antony pointed out that India wanted to ensure that space exploration was not vitiated by an arms race or introduction of new weapons systems in the outer space.

Explaining the idea behind an aerospace command, Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy, during his tenure, said the Indian military would use satellites only for communication purposes. "We are prepared to use space for our own efficiency and projection in future use. They will be used for command and control purposes and not for weapons delivery," he said.

"Any country on the fringe of space technology like India has to work towards such a command as advanced countries are already moving towards laser weapon platforms in space. The IAF has started work on conceptualising such a weapons system and its operational command system. India is at the very beginning of exploration of space. It will also have to observe international rules, regulations and understanding. We believe the IAF is better prepared to understand space."

Lessons from U.S.

The Air Force has learnt lessons from U.S. utilisation of satellites for command and control during the aggression on Iraq with fighter aircraft receiving destination inputs and target acquisition directives from U.S.-based officers by using space-based relay stations. It wants the aerospace command to initially serve a similar purpose.

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