Responding to the Chinese satellite killer weapon, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi said that India is in the process of setting up a separate “aerospace command” to exploit outer space and also to protect “space assets.” Tyagi who would be retiring in March said that as an “aerospace power having trans-oceanic reach” India has “started training a core group of people” to man such a command but declined to specify a timetable.

Tyagi’s vision is to integrate various components of the Air Force (IAF), Indian satellites, radars, communication systems, fighter aircraft, and helicopters under a single command to address communications, reconnaissance, and battlefield damage assessment needs. Saying that the IAF will take the “help” of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), he said that the new command “will have distinct features” since it is “a military command.