A video showcasing a new Chinese stealth fighter jet, suspected to be a 6th-generation machine, has taken social media by storm.

The timing couldn’t be more striking. As this footage goes viral, India grapples with a stark contrast. The country has yet to field a stealth fighter jet, and the Defence Ministry has just formed a high-level committee to address critical gaps, including a severe shortage of fighter jets, weapons, and equipment, in the Indian Air Force’s arsenal, TOI reported.

The video went viral shortly after this episode’s recording.

The committee, featuring DRDO chief Samir V Kamat, defence production secretary Sanjeev Kumar, and IAF deputy chief Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, aims to chart a path forward.

But is this the game-changer the IAF desperately needs? Can the committee offer immediate solutions to the fighter jet shortage? Will it deliver a long-term roadmap for the IAF’s capability development, or is this another bureaucratic exercise with no tangible outcomes?

With just 36 Rafale jets inducted so far and a 110-jet acquisition proposal still unresolved, how will the IAF bridge its glaring “capability voids”? And what role will indigenous production play in addressing these gaps?

Host Dev Goswami and defence expert Shiv Aroor address these pressing questions.

Tune in!

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound mix by Nitin Rawat