Sajay, your proposal is really off-base. Look more at logistics & EOQ of spares, tooling etc and availability of skilled manpower before coming up with IAC etc.
1. Look at the numbers and types of aircraft below. Similar to the numbers and types I have suggested in my IAC concept. And all these aircraft participated in a single theatre - Pokhran.
Because this was a demo. That's all, a firepower demo, intended to showcase all the aircraft types in the AF. That does not mean you take 1-2 of each aircraft type and create some mega airbase with each aircraft represented.
2. In the video, look at the numbers of aircraft attacking any target... they are all doing it in small detachments. You don't see an entire squadron swatting a target do you?
Squadrons exist for a reason. They centralize capabilities, offer the ability to rotate personnel and crew between missions and also offer centralization of training, logistics including munitions and spares. They can be sent to war either in full detachments and flights or smaller units, deployed across 2-3 AFB. That does not mean however, they are always broken up and should be broken up.
But the problem in Vayu Shakthi is that it probably took a month for all the participating aircrafts/personnel to assemble in/around Pokhran from their respective home bases. This is what delays our capability to give a small, quick Jhapad to the Pakis... we have to huff, puff, cough and wheez till we have all the assets in place and by the time we are in place... "How's the Josh?"... "GONE, Sir". Whereas, if we have an IAC-like force in place, we can deliver a Jhapad anywhere within a few hours...WHAM! BAM! IN YOUR MUSHARAF MAAM!
This is, sorry to say, complete whimsy. If the AF so chooses it can deploy & move assets much faster. The timeframes it requires to develop a strong attack against TSP nowhere require a months prep, nor does it require such a multiplicity of types to deploy against TSP.
The set of AB linked across our border with Pak, the ones within are all set to a certain level of capability, defense and offense. Theres a very strong rationale to each AF decision.
First Each AFB has certain aircraft types, based on what their attributes are, what their mission tasking is, what the logistics they require are, and also based on how they can be relocated.
For instance, most of our tactical AB right across the Pak border have MiG-21s, because these are limited range CAP and strike capable aircraft, but at the same time capable of quick spool up and intercept. The Su-30s were initially deployed much deeper into India because they could range further & also, they stay out of prying eyes of PAF AEW&C when training in peacetime. Of late, as aircraft drawdown occured, IAF Su-30s have been deployed nearer to the border but baseline precautions remain.
IAF operates on the basis of commands, and then looks at capabilities. WAC, EAC etc all will have capabilities at their disposal spread across a certain number of AB, again avoiding concentration risk wherever possible, pooling resources where necessary.
Point is AF is not some org which just randomly allocates aircraft.
Second is centralization. Do you understand the costs involved in maintaining & operating state of the art fighters?
This is the reason the AF pools aircraft of a certain type at each AB as a node. Gwalior operates Mirage 2000s for a reason. Ditto, why Su-30s were initially stood up at Lohegaon. This is where we standardized logistics for the type.
Point is this is a very very complex and expensive affair. Your proposal is too whimsical. Taking 1-2 aircraft of each type and creating a mini-AF replica at each airbase. The cost of replicating the maint & logistics infra at each base would it itself bankrupt the AF and for what?
Concentration of force is the third point. This also matters. If a strike package heads for an AF tactical base, it has a mix of 1-2 planes of each type, and it won't have the assets to sufficiently defend itself either. This is the reason AF actually maintains entire squadrons at certain bases. These aircraft can either be deployed as detachments if need be OR be based out of that base itself. IAF is now stressing on multirole capabilities across aircraft, because this way it need not mix and match different fleets for the same requirement.
So I hope you understand why your proposal is unworkable.
