Aero India 2021: Air Force looks to industry for indigenising spares

With this digitisation providing the IAF with a firm grip on its inventories, it has begun reducing reliance on foreign OEMs by launching a major programme of indigenising spares

The Indian Air Force (IAF), whose predominant ethos is the macho cult of the fighter pilot, has, unusually, given pride of place in its display at Aero India 2012 to a new, high-tech system of maintenance management that has entirely removed paper from its functioning.

The system, termed IDM-MAXIMO and developed by Wipro, has streamlined and centralised record keeping, inventory management and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in the IAF’s 170 bases and 13 Base Repair Depots (BRDs) across the country.

With this digitisation providing the IAF with a firm grip on its inventories, it has begun reducing reliance on