India’s air defense has transformed from sparse radars in the 1960s to a multilayered network anchored by the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), linking radars, interceptors, and layered missile systems into a cohesive shield. Air Marshal Diptendu Choudhury underscores how decades of preparation, constant operational readiness, and the stress test of Operation Sindoor demonstrated the value of Army–Air Force integration and cost-effective counters to drones and missiles. He emphasizes that air defence is no longer just about protection—it is about extending reach into adversary airspace and enabling India’s offensive air power to operate with confidence.

Looking ahead, Choudhury warns that the deepening China–Pakistan partnership, the economics of interception, and production scalability will shape India’s strategic calculus. He calls for IACCS to evolve into an Integrated Aerospace Command and Control System, expanding beyond airspace into near-space and space-based surveillance to achieve full-spectrum aerospace domain awareness. Building resilient, cyber-secure, and future-ready defences, he argues, is essential to preserving India’s edge against threats ranging from drones to ballistic missiles.

How can India balance cost-effective counters against drones with the need for high-end missile defenses? What does China–Pakistan military cooperation mean for India’s future two-front strategy? How should India integrate space-based systems into its air defence to achieve true aerospace domain awareness?

Episode Contributors

Air Marshal (Retd.) Diptendu Choudhury, Former Commandant, National Defence College, Delhi. An experienced pilot with over 5000 sorties on fighters, he has commanded a fighter squadron, IAF’s prestigious Tactics Air Combat Development Establishment, two frontline fighter wings, and has extensive experience in the development and execution of air operations at Command, Air Force and Joint Operations levels. He has been the Senior Air Staff Officer of WAC, Air Defence Commander of two operational Commands, AOC of IAF’s Composite Operational Battle Response and Analysis Group, as well as the ACAS Inspections, and Director Air Staff Inspections and Operational Planning and Assessment Group.

Dinakar Peri is a fellow in the Security Studies program at Carnegie India. Earlier, he was a journalist with The Hindu newspaper covering defense and strategic affairs for almost 11 years. He is an alumnus of the U.K. Foreign Office’s Chevening South Asia Journalism Program and the U.S. State Department’s International Visiting Leadership Program.

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