basic doctrine of the indian air force PRIMACY OF THE COUNTER AIR CAMPAIGN The above three air campaigns historically have been pursued simultaneously but in case the enemy has a powerful air force, priority must be given to the achievement of control of the air so that the enemy air force’s ability to interfere with own surface force action is blunted. However, this does not mean that no other campaign is to be undertaken till air superiority is achieved. Instead, it means that no other operations be commenced, if they are going to jeopardise the attainment of air superiority, or are going to use up the resources required to attain or maintain air superiority. At the same time, temporary emergencies may arise when such resources have to be diverted to other tasks as was the case in the opening moments of 1965 war when the IAF thwarted the Pak armour thrust in Chamb area on September 1, 1965 by launching fighter aircraft within one hour of getting the clearance to seek and destroy Pak armour, anti-aircraft guns and vehicles. COUNTER AIR CAMPAIGN The counter air campaign comprises of two distinct but complementary operations; offensive counter air and air defence (or defensive counter air). The components of the counter air campaign are as shown below: Counter Air Campaign Offensive Counter Air Operations (OCA) Air Defence (AD) Operations Fig. 1: Counter Air Campaign OFFENSIVE COUNTER AIR OPERATIONS Offensive counter air operations or OCA are aimed at destroying, disrupting or limiting the enemy air power as close to its source as possible. Air superiority is hindered by aircraft and ground based weapon systems which are supported by radars, other sensors, 42