SOURCE: AFI
In a thought-provoking column, Sameer Joshi, founder of NewSpace Research & Technologies Pvt Ltd, has spotlighted the transformative potential of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)—a paradigm shift poised to reshape modern air combat over the coming decades. As nations race to maintain air superiority in increasingly contested skies, CCAs promise to blend human ingenuity with AI-driven robotic assets, offering early adopters a decisive edge. For India, grappling with shrinking fighter squadrons and sophisticated Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) threats from China and Pakistan, this “system of systems” philosophy could herald a new era of affordable, decentralized combat mass. Joshi’s analysis, published on Medium, underscores how CCAs could redefine the Indian Air Force (IAF), amplifying its lethality, survivability, and strategic reach in the fight for command of the skies.
At its core, the CCA concept pairs human pilots with uncrewed, AI-enabled wingmen, harnessing cutting-edge technologies to outpace adversaries. Joshi envisions a future where pilots command swarms of CCAs to scout ahead, jam enemy radars, or strike targets—keeping manned jets like the Tejas, Su-30 MKI, or Rafale out of harm’s way while focusing on high-level decision-making. This collaborative approach departs from today’s reliance on “exquisite, expensive, and scarce” 4th, 4.5th, and 5th-generation platforms, which are ill-suited to penetrate layered A2/AD defenses without risking unsustainable losses.
Recent conflicts—Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Middle East—highlight the rise of A2/AD strategies, where adversaries deploy integrated air defenses, drones, and electronic warfare to deny access. For India, facing China’s J-20 stealth fighters and S-400 systems along the LAC, or Pakistan’s evolving missile and UAV capabilities, generating “combat mass” with traditional jets is increasingly untenable. CCAs, Joshi argues, reintroduce this mass through affordable, dispersed platforms, disaggregating sensors and payloads across swarms to overwhelm enemy defenses.
How CCAs Enhance Combat Power
The strength of CCAs lies in their ability to densify the battlespace with sensors, weapons, and mission systems, projecting power deep into contested zones. Unlike standalone fighters, CCAs operate as a “kill mesh”—a networked ecosystem that boosts survivability and lethality. Joshi outlines their key advantages:
- Sensor-Weapon Synergy: By closing gaps between detection and engagement, CCAs deliver “first look, first shoot” dominance, critical against stealthy or fast-moving threats.
- Force Multiplication: Non-stealthy fighters and bombers, paired with CCAs, can contribute to air superiority missions, amplifying the IAF’s limited fleet of 31 squadrons.
- Heterogeneous Mix: Sharing data links and functions across manned and uncrewed assets complicates enemy targeting, masking vulnerabilities in 360-degree threat environments.
- Cost Imposition: Deploying large numbers of lower-cost CCAs—potentially $5-10 million each versus $80-100 million for a Rafale—depletes enemy defenses, paving the way for follow-on strikes.
Imagine an IAF squadron where one or two manned jets lead a dozen CCAs, seamlessly linked via AI-driven datalinks. This swarm could saturate defenses, deliver precision strikes, or jam radars, achieving air superiority with minimal risk to pilots—a far cry from today’s resource-intensive model.
India is already dipping its toes into this domain with the Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Warrior, developed by HAL and NewSpace Research. Unveiled at Aero India 2025, this Loyal Wingman UCAV—slated for a 2025-26 first flight—embodies Joshi’s vision. Priced at a fraction of a manned fighter, it integrates with Tejas or Su-30s, carrying 600 kg of weapons and offering autonomous takeoff and landing. HAL’s plan to produce 100 units annually, backed by private sector suppliers, aligns with the CCA ethos of affordable mass.
Yet, Joshi’s column suggests India could go further. Scaling CATS Warrior into a full CCA swarm—perhaps 300-500 units—would mirror U.S. efforts like the Skyborg or Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat. Budgets permitting, this could offset the IAF’s fighter shortfall, projected to linger below the sanctioned 42 squadrons until the 2030s, even with LCA Mk-1A and AMCA inductions.
The CCA era, while promising, is still nascent. Joshi highlights evolving budgets, technological boundaries, and ethical debates as key hurdles. India’s defense allocation (?6.21 lakh crore in FY25) prioritizes manned platforms—Rafale-M, TEDBF, and AMCA—leaving limited room for untested UCAVs. The CATS Warrior’s ?14,000 crore development cost is a start, but scaling to swarms demands billions more, testing fiscal discipline.
Trust in autonomy poses another challenge. Can IAF pilots rely on AI to execute complex maneuvers without human override? Incidents like the U.S. MQ-9’s accidental strikes fuel skepticism, necessitating robust safeguards. Ethical questions—autonomous kill decisions, accountability in mishaps—spark “the right debates,” as Joshi notes, but India must resolve these to deploy CCAs confidently.
For India, CCAs aren’t a luxury—they’re a necessity. China’s 600+ fighter fleet and 50+ submarines dwarf India’s capabilities, while Pakistan’s drones and JF-17s exploit A2/AD tactics. A CCA-augmented IAF could penetrate these layers, impose costs, and secure air dominance over the Himalayas or Arabian Sea.
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