ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash
Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor (Retd) has served as the Director General (Inspection and Safety) of the Indian Air Force. He has also held the position of Commandant at both the Air Force Academy and the National Defence Academy. With over 7,800 hours of incident-free flying on various trainer, transport, and strategic aircraft, he is considered one of the stalwarts of Aerial Refuelling Operations in the Indian Air Force. He has also flown the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor explains how modern warfare in West Asia is driven by air power, missiles and drones, and how Iran’s air defence has challenged U.S. and Israeli air superiority.
He also highlights that China’s J-20 stealth fighters in Tibet pose a serious challenge and India must develop strong fifth-generation capabilities, while also pointing out that India’s indigenous satellite navigation system needs to be strengthened further.
*Timestamps*
00:00 – Introduction
01:16 – Iranian Air Defence Response
05:47 – Iran’s Decentralised Command Structure
09:57 – Iran’s Underground Missile Bases
18:05 – Limits of Modern Interceptor Systems
23:13 – Multi-Domain Warfare
29:20 – US Aircraft Losses
31:54 – India’s Satellite and Navigation Capability Gap
43:53 – Role of Theatre Commands
47:46 – Global Energy Supply Chains
50:56 – Indigenous Defence R&D
54:56 – Jamming and Spoofing
57:42 – Rafale Source Code Access Debate