IAF trains guns on IITs

Looks to recruit potential pilots, engineers

BY A CORRESPONDENT
April 27, 2006

Indian Air Force (IAF) is now planning to tap the top brains of the country, by hosting as many as 57 IIT students for a two-month summer stint, according to a Times of India report. The IAF, which is looking to recruit talented youngsters in its engineering ranks, would look at potential pilots as well as students who would be technically equipped to handle the increasing sophistication of aviation technology.

Frontline fighter jets at the IAF have become increasingly technology-intensive, and will require more advanced pilots with greater technical skills. Wing Commander Ashim Kapoor said, "This special summer training drive from May 15 is being conducted as a step forward in our efforts to attract better quality talent from premier institutes."

The 57 students will be selected from among pre-final year engineering IIT students in streams ranging from electrical and mechanical to aerospace and computer engineering, and will be attached to IAF's Base Repair Depots (BRDs) in Kanpur, Chandigarh, Nashik, Delhi and Pune, among others. The IAF would cover travel, boarding, and lodging expenses. They will be exposed to how the IAF maintains, repairs and upgrades different systems.

In addition, the Air Force Technical College (AFTC) has already approached IIT Chennai with a proposal to set up an IIT-IAF Engineering College (IIEC) in Bangalore.

The IAF has been facing a problem in terms of shortage of qualified engineers, despite AFTC recruitment from various disciplines and conversion of the personnel into "aeronautical engineers." According to one officer, "AFTC trains around 150 engineers every year but we have a shortfall since IAF requires around 250 engineers per year."