INDIA's AEROSPACE POWER: THE CENTRAL ASIAN DYNAMICS

India's Aerospace Power: The Central Asian Dynamics" authored by Group Captain (Dr) Rajneesh Kumar- an acclaimed researcher on Central Asia traces the historical, military, and strategic linkages that shape India's engagement with Central Asia, while researching into a hitherto untouched facet of India-Central Asia Relations, i.e. aerospace power. The book starts with mentioning the Mughal legacy of gunpowder warfare and structured military systems and goes on further to the British introduction of modern defence infrastructure and aviation. Post-independence, with Soviet collaboration and the rise of indigenous institutions like HAL, India transitioned from dependence to growing self-reliance and now emerging as a potential exporter of aerospace technology. Central Asia, resource-rich and strategically located, presents both opportunities and challenges for India due to great power play in the region. Besides myriad other possibilities the Central Asian region offers scope also for aviation maintenance, defence cooperation and collaborations in the sphere of space research, despite the fact that it is complicated by connectivity gaps, great power rivalries and regional instabilities. The book examines how India can leverage its aviation expertise in the military & civil aviation domains, defence industry and soft power to build sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships with Central Asia. The book also analyses as to how India can strengthen its own strategic depth in an evolving geopolitical landscape. To achieve the much desired strategic depth, the book strongly advocates a case for re-attainment and re-operationalisation of India's overseas air bases in Ayni and Farkhor in Tajikistan and comes to conclude the study by talking of a bright scope of India-Central Asia engagement.