Aero India 2023

[MirageBlue]

Tribune India is reporting (and so are others) that the numbers of new Indian fighters that the IAF has apparently finalised are 470

The breakdown is such:

1. 133 Tejas Mk1A fighters (first Mk1A on track for delivery to IAF in Feb 2024)
2. 108 Tejas Mk2 fighters
3. 126 AMCA fighters
4. 100 TEDBF for the Indian Navy

This is in addition to the 114 MRFA that the IAF is still hankering for and the 26 MRCBF (most likely Rafale M) for the IN.

HAL CMD had already indicated that HAL has been working on increasing manufacturing capacity to take up more than 16 Tejas Mk1A per year so that the original 83 Mk1As will be delivered ahead of schedule (!) and it'll create the gap for an additional order of 50 Tejas Mk1A after which the Tejas Mk2 deliveries will begin.

India plans to make 470 jets, first to roll out in Feb next year

India is planning to manufacture 470 fighter jets, with the first one — Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mark-1A — to be rolled out in February next year. The massive project in already underway.

www.tribuneindia.com

Absolute bonanza for GE since all these fighters (except for AMCA Mk2) are to be powered by the GE F-404 and F-414 series engines. No wonder they're happy to set up the assembly line in India for F-414 engines with so called 'ToT'.

 

[MirageBlue]

Apparently the Indian Navy has signalled to the GoI that the Rafale M meets more of it's requirements than the Super Hornet.

As to when they will be ordered, no idea. I just hope that they tie it with a follow-on IAF order for 54 more and then ask Dassault to build them in India. After that, close the MRFA contest. But I doubt that the common sense approach will be taken.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1625851006386057217

 

[MirageBlue]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626179676975800321

So far it only shows you keep saying you have 'understanding' while all you have are vague 'feelings'

and with midlife replacements they're looking at 100+ units sold

Mid-life replacements of what?

 

[MirageBlue]

Great update by Delhi Defence Review on the AEW&C, COMJAM and FTB status and plans for the future.

Take-aways:

1. IAF is looking for 6 more Netra Mk1 AEW&C on (possibly) used EMB-145 platform. They want them as soon as possible given that they're battle proven and can be fielded in a quick time frame. One key difference is that they will use GaN T/R modules instead of the existing GaAs T/R modules of the 3 EMB-145 based Netra Mk1
2. 6 ex-Air India A321 airframes that were handed over to DRDO for the next generation AEW&C program (called Netra Mk2) will also have an indigenous GaN T/R module based S band AESA radar on a larger balance beam, similar to the one on the Netra Mk1
3. CABS (Center for Airborne Systems) will also build 3 COMJAM systems on ex-Air India A319 airframes
4. One ex-Air India A320 based Flying Test Bed for testing all the systems
5. Netra Mk2s will be ready in 2 years' time, followed by 2 each every 2 years.

 

[MirageBlue]

AMCA update!

Systems Level Critical Design Review has been completed for the AMCA and the team will now progress to Platform level CDR in the next 2-3 months!

Aero India 2023 - AMCA finishes systems level CDR

The critical design review (CDR) of all systems for India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) has been completed, a senior project official said.

Speaking to Janes at the Aero India 2023 show being held in Bangalore from 13 to 17 February, the project official said that the aircraft's 16 primary systems have completed the CDR. “This will allow us to complete the platform-level critical design review of the AMCA in one to two months,” the project official with India's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) said.

Sixteen aircraft systems were assessed in the systems-level CDR, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. These include hydraulics, cockpit avionics, Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM), electricals, the weapons systems, and the internal weapons bay.

When Janes last spoke to ADA in November 2022 about the project, some of the systems were still in the process of development.

...

 

[MirageBlue]

IAF to receive 100 ALS-50 loitering munitions from Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL)

Aero India 2023- IAF to receive 100 loitering munitions from TASL

Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) is delivering 100 units of its Advanced Loitering System-50 (ALS-50) to the Indian Air Force (IAF), sources familiar with the matter told Janes at the Aero India 2023 show being held in Bangalore from 13 to 17 February.

The deliveries are expected to be completed by the end of this year, the sources said.

ALS-50 is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that has a length of 2.4 m, a wingspan of 3.8 m, and a maximum takeoff weight of 50 kg.

It has a cruise speed of 100 km/h, an endurance of more than 1 hour, and a range of more than 50 km, the sources added.

The UAV can carry a range of anti-personnel and anti-armour warheads weighing up to 6 kg including explosively formed penetrator (EFP), the sources said.

The ASL-50 model displayed at Aero India 2023 features a rectangular fuselage with rounded edges, shoulder-mounted straight wings, and a conventional tail configuration with an additional ventral tail.

..

 

[MirageBlue]

Indian Army to receive it's first AH-64 Longbow Apaches in 2024.

Aero India 2023- Apaches for Indian Army under construction

The first Boeing AH-64E fuselage for the Indian Army has rolled off the assembly line, with Boeing preparing to deliver the six attack helicopters early next year.

Alain Garcia, vice-president of business development in India, Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Global Services, told Janes that the first AH-64E fuselage for India had come off the assembly line at the company's Indian factory in Hyderabad on 19 January.

“The fuselage has been transported to Mesa in the United States for assembly and systems integration,” Garcia told Janes during the Aero India 2023 show being held in Bangalore from 13 to 17 February.

“All six completed helicopters will be delivered to the Indian Army in the first half of 2024,” Garcia said. Janes has learnt that the attack helicopters being delivered to the Indian Army are the latest Version 6 aircraft.

“We hope to deliver the aircraft rapidly within a few months,” Garcia said.

..

 

[MirageBlue]

IAF's first and only ever helicopter pilot to become Air Chief Marshal, Fali Homi Major flew the HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and loved it, calling it a very agile machine..

I'm telling you guys, I've heard another first hand report from a close friend who is a Army Aviation pilot about how good this HAL LUH really is.

Ka-226 will hopefully be buried quietly with the HAL LUH being inducted. Almost 400 are needed to replace all the Cheetahs and Chetaks in service with IA, IAF and IN!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626159780502056961

Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major (Retd.), the only chopper pilot to be chief of the Indian Air Force, just flew HAL’s Light Utility Helicopter — and he loved it. After a 50 minute flight over Bengaluru, Major told Livefist, “The LUH handles wonderfully in all flight envelopes and is a very agile machine.”

The flight on February 15 with HAL test pilot Wing Commander Anil Bhambani comes a fortnight after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated HAL’s new helicopter factory near Bengaluru, a sprawling facility that will build the LUH for the Indian armed forces.

..

Not sure how many of you know of this daring operation during which ACM Fali Major was one of the Mi-17 pilots that rescued passengers stranded on that cable car.

ACM Fali Major with a Prachand that he flew in 2017

 

[MirageBlue]

Tejas Mk1 and Tejas Mk1A loadout image..

CCM - R-73E, Python V, ASRAAM
BVRAAM - Derby, Astra Mk1 and Astra Mk2 !!
DRDO ASPJ
AASM Hammer
JDAM-ER
Israeli LGB-NG and Griffin LGB
DRDO SAAW
Dumb bombs - 1000 lbs GP bombs, HSLD (High Speed Low Drag) 450 kg bombs, HSLD 250 kg prefrag bombs

Tejas Mk1 with Astra Mk1 and DRDO ASPJ

 

[MirageBlue]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1625825803975151616

So BEL will be working on the Internal Weapons Bay of the AMCA.

 

[MirageBlue]

LM's pitch for the F-21 to the IAF

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626179381461925889

 

[Chute]

@Deino you are an intelligent published fellow.

You are better off asking these questions to where the actual intelligent Indians have gathered (having been driven away in large part by the actions and counter-actions of the nincompoop imbecile self-hating ones festered and entrenched here).

I am sure you will find them if you try (if you dont already know).

This forum is unfortunately the worst place possible to interact with "Indians" (esp 24/7 ones) for about especially the last 3 years or so.

They enjoy and fester in abuse and ridicule as their basic premise for being here, to satisfy their weird Pakistan complex (that can never be satisfied)....and have clawed into the space left behind by their betters who have left.

In general its best to interact as far as possible with those that break the mold rather than those that do their level best to prove some gross stereotype.

 

[MilSpec]

@dbc might want to lookup criteria for negative ratings ...

 

[Cheepek]

Only as a political teaser! Do you really think the US will ban the sale of F-35s to a NATO partner due to S400 SAMs while at the same time the IAF still uses Russian command structure, AEW, fighter assets and so on and will deliver the F-35 to India?

Sorry, but this is plain naive!

A NATO member is sanctioned under CAATSA by USofA, and India received a CAATSA waiver.

Not saying F-35 is on offer but please keep up with updated info, "mod"!

 

[dbc]

@dbc might want to lookup criteria for negative ratings ...

You might want to learn to discuss the topic and not attack a member just because you don't agree with his opinion.