The Weapon System Branch would be the first operational branch to be established since Independence. IAF to soon establish Weapon System Branch. The new branch would save Rs 3,400 crore. It will help in the unification of all weapon system operators

The creation of a new branch for unmanned aerial vehicle operators, weapon system officers of two-seater aircraft, and missile system operators will streamline operational needs that are distinct from actual flying.

New Delhi: In a significant development for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the central government has given a go-ahead to establish a new IAF wing named the Weapon System Branch. The establishment of the new branch would allow the unification of all weapon system operators under a single organisation responsible for the operational deployment of all ground-based and specialised airborne weapon systems. This step toward the advancement of technology is significant since it will be the first time since Independence that a new operational branch is being established in any defence force. Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari made these announcements on Saturday, October 8 during the Air Force Day parade in Chandigarh.

The IAF Chief further assured that this will also help save close to Rs 3,400 crore by cutting the cost of flying training.

"The traditional domains of land, sea and air have expanded to include space and cyber. We are increasingly seeing the convergence of all these domains into one continuum in the form of hybrid warfare. The use of non-kinetic and non-lethal warfare to supplement kinetic means has changed the way wars will be prosecuted. Therefore, conventional systems and weapons will need to be augmented by modern, flexible and adaptive technology", the Air Chief Marshal said.

Weapon System Branch

It is being deemed that the Weapon System Branch will make a significant contribution by improving the Indian Air Force's potential during modern warfare. The branch would essentially consist of four specialised streams of operators: Surface-to-Surface missile operators, Surface-to-Air missile operators, Remotely Piloted Aircraft operators, and Weapon System Operators in twin and multi-crew aircraft. The branch will also include the flying, remote, intelligence, and surface sub-streams.

The creation of a new branch for unmanned aerial vehicle operators, weapon system officers of two-seater aircraft, and missile system operators will streamline operational needs that are distinct from actual flying. Therefore, by handling weapons like missiles, drones, and satellite systems, the officers who would make up the new Weapon System Branch would free up fighter pilots to focus on what they do best: flying combat aircraft.

Coming to the aforementioned sub-streams, the flying sub-stream will be made up of system operators flying twin-seat or multi-crew aircraft. The remote sub-stream will consist of officers who take care of remotely flown drones and aircraft. While the third sub-stream, known as the intelligence stream, will include signal intelligence operators for remotely piloted aircraft and space-based systems, information warfare experts, and image intelligence analysts. Furthermore, the surface sub-stream will include operators and commanders for surface-to-surface missiles and surface-to-air guided weapons.