Supply Chain Affected Due To Russia-Ukraine War, 40% Inventory Comes From Conflict Zones: Air Marshal Vibhas Pande

Air Marshal Vibhas Pande, who serves as the Chief of Maintenance Command in the Indian Air Force, said that the supply chain was disrupted due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

New Delhi: Air Marshal Vibhas Pande, who serves as the Chief of Maintenance Command in the Indian Air Force, on Thursday noted that despite the global disruptions in the supply chain caused by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has not been significantly impacted due to its emphasis on indigenisation within the Indian Airforce.

However, the Air Marshal said that the current conflict in Ukraine has led to challenges in supply in the Indian Airforce.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "The best part is that we have inherent capabilities. Su30 is an HAL-manufactured aircraft. Over a period of time, HAL has also indigenized a lot of equipment that is needed for the operation of Su-30, especially for day-to-day requirements. So it (Russia-Ukraine conflict) has not actually affected us very badly because of indigenization which has happened at HAL as well as BRDs. BRDs have indigenized ARS (automated replenishment systems)."

However, the current conflict, he said, has affected the supply chain globally. He mentioned, "About 40 per cent of our inventory, as of date, with fighter aircraft and all aircraft put together, is from conflict zones."

"When I say conflict zone, it is not only from Russia but we also have An-32 on our strength which is from Ukraine... The supplies have been affected...Apart from that, for Russian fleets, we get a lot of support in terms of the Mi17 fleet. All of them have been affected," he added.

The Air Marshall said that in the face of all challenges whether the pandemic or the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Indian Airforce has strengthened its resolve to be self-reliant.

"All the criticalities we faced, like COVID-19, have only strengthened our resolve to become self-reliant. This particular conflict (Russia-Ukraine) has given us a further shot in the arm to make sure we move on that path with a little more determination. Fortunately, it has also been supported by the Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission of our Prime Minister. Nearly 90 per cent of consumables are sourced from indigenous sources. That is how we have been trying to address the maintenance issue or lack of supply," Pande said.

Speaking about emergency procurements in recent times, Vibhas Pande said, "We had a series of emergency procurements happen... It started in 2019 when we had Balakot... Thereafter, during 2020 in the eastern Ladakh contingency, we had two more sets of emergency procurements...There was a little setback in terms of supplies because of the ongoing conflict, but now we have overcome that..."