In recent years, the Indian Armed Forces have faced a series of high profile operational setbacks that raise critical questions regarding its operational performances, maintenance protocols, human error, and inherent systemic vulnerabilities. These “fissures”, spanning the Navy, Air Force and Army, suggest a period of significant struggle for a military currently undergoing rapid modernization. The persistence of these operational lapses suggests that the “glitz” of high-tech acquisitions is currently outpacing the “grit” of foundational safety culture and technical oversight.
A defining moment of institutional embarrassment occurred when India’s first nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Arihant, was rendered inoperable for nearly ten months. The $3 billion vessel suffered extensive damage due to a rudimentary human error: A hatch was left open while the submarine was at port, allowing seawater to flood the propulsion area. This incident highlighted a startling lapse in standard operating procedures within the elite naval command.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been equally beleaguered by a rash of aircraft losses. In March 2026, a Sukhoi Su-30MKI crashed in Assam, claiming the lives of two pilots. More recently, in February 2026, reports indicated another Tejas jet crash during a training flight. Similarly, the November 2025 crash of a Tejas fighter, which occurred shortly after concerns were raised regarding its technical readiness. While official sources often downplay these events, such as the denied reports of a IAF fighter jet crash in Kishtwar in April 2026, despite numerous local eyewitness accounts. The frequency of these events is becoming impossible to ignore.
While the procurement of Rafales and S-400 systems can fill hardware gaps, they cannot compensate for a “human in the loop” vulnerability that continues to jeopardize multi billion-dollar strategic assets.
Apart from the isolated training crashes, optional readiness of the Indian Air Force has also come under the spotlight. There so-called “Mantra of Air Superiority” over Pakistan was significantly tarnished by effective engagement and downing of six Rafale fighter aircraft and neutralization of cutting edge technologically infused S-400 Air Defense System during Operation Sindoor on May 7. Nearly same operational readiness was demonstrated by the Indians armed forces during Balakot Strikes in which the Air Defense System accidently downed its own Mi-17 helicopter in fratricide.
For a country like India, which seeks to project power and regional dominance on the global stage, these recurring accidents suggest that internal structural reforms may be as vital as the acquisition of new hardware. The lack of readiness in the Indian Armed Forces stems from a mismatch between high tech hardware and the operator proficiency vulnerability. Truncated training cycles, aging infrastructure, and a transient force structure have created a technical skill void that leaves recruits ill-equipped for modern combat. Such hardware heavy but training deficient approach renders even elite assets strategic liabilities, compromising border security and joint-operation dominance.
If the Tejas and Arihant are to be the vanguards of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the defense establishment must prove it can maintain these platforms with the same sophistication used to build them. However, current evidence suggests a force trapped in a “screwdriver culture”; capable of assembling technology but incapable of deploying or sustaining it effectively under the pressures of a high-intensity combat environment. Until the “human in the loop” and command level vulnerabilities are addressed, India’s pursuit of regional hegemon remains just a failed projection rather than a reality.
