Decks cleared for IAF modernisation

[Contrarian]

Decks cleared for IAF modernisation

Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI: The government is set to sign contracts worth over $ 1.5 billion to give added punch to the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) existing fighter fleet, said Ministry of Defence sources.

The government has been successful in each case in getting the bidders to agree to 30 per cent in direct off-sets. This means that companies implementing the contracts would be sourcing one-third of the requirement for the modernisation from Indian companies.

The biggest contract will be for the modernisation of the MiG-29 fighters which is estimated at over $ 1 billion. The modernised planes will be fitted with ventral fuel drop tanks (extra fuel tanks) to almost double the endurance of the fighters. While some MiG-21 variants have been getting upgraded since the last few years, the modernisation of the air superiority MiG-29 had got tangled on the price issue. The Defence Ministry has also cleared the purchase of 80 medium lift helicopters for the IAF. To be sourced from Russia, the helicopters will partially fill the steep decline in the IAF’s helicopter force levels. This order is distinct from a tender for about 200 helicopters for the army that has now been scrapped.

The long overdue sharpening of the Anglo-French Jaguar fighter’s fighting reflexes has also been cleared. An Israeli company will fit advanced sensors on the fighter to improve its targeting capability. The Defence Ministry has already signed its first two offset agreements with foreign companies as per the existing defence procurement policy. The winner of the Rs. 900-crore medium portable radar contract, Elta of Israel, will buy components worth over the required 30 per cent of the value of the contract from Indian companies. Under the second contract, the foreign company which has won the Rs. 400-crore order to supply a refuelling fleet tanker to the Navy has also agreed to meet the “direct offset” clause.

The IAF has already started implementing plans to modernise its bases. “Setting up infrastructure to look after modern fighters and operate sophisticated air defence and communications systems is a time-consuming and expensive affair. The IAF has received the report of a committee suggesting modernisation of the airbases in such a manner as to meet our requirements for the next 30 to 40 years,” said chief of the Western Air Command Air Marshal P.K. Barbora.

The plan was prepared to deal with the induction of fifth generation fighters and handle sophisticated surveillance and real-time data transfer requirements of the advanced early warning aircraft. India recently signed a pact with Russia for developing futuristic fighter aircraft and officials expected the prototype in five years. The aircraft might be inducted in a decade.

The Hindu : National : Decks cleared for IAF modernisation

 

[Contrarian]

Very informative Article.
If people can percieve, IAF is undergoing a complete transformation in every sense!

1. The existing ENTIRE fighter fleet of IAF is undergoing MLU. Every plane excluding the Su-30MKI, which should get MLU'ed around 2012-15.

MiG 29- Customized upgradation, based on the MiG 29M1. For people who dont know, this is different from the standard SMT upgrade and wayy better as well as wayy more expensive. That takes the plane upto near MiG 35 standards or near the Navy's MiG 29K standards.

Mirage 2000- Being upgraded to Mirage 2005/9 standards.

Jaguar-Already being upgraded, now more precision instruments and pods are being added.

MiG 21- Already being upgraded to Bison standard which makes it BVR capable as well as EW pods bought from Israel are being mounted.

2.Entirely new helicoptor fleet with new medium lift helicoptors along with the new ALU as Utility Helicoptor and LCH(Light Combat Helicoptor).

3. New surveillance radars from Israel.Medium portable radars,
4 more Aerostat radars for the Pakistani border. The radar coverage,currently pathetic in the NE is being rehauled.

Indigenous radars like Rajendra,3D CAR are proving invaluable in this effort to fill the radar coverage gaps that exist.

4. All the bases of IAF are getting modernized. New infrastructure is being built at almost all the bases. From New runways to new buildings and radars.

5. Dramatically increasing the size of its transport fleet and heavy lift capability with Multirole Transport Aircraft.

6. Completely new air defence system, ranging from Barak 8 Long Range Area Defence SAM,
Akash, Spyder for Medium Range SAM,
Maitri for Low Level SAM.

7.An entirely new fleet of planes-the MRCA and the LCA.

8. Entirely new pilot training regimen with three phases(though this existed earlier).

106 BAe Hawks !
Intermediate Jet Trainer,
Hindustan Jet Trainer.

9. The Civilian radar coverage is being mated to the military radar coverage for the IAF, to reduce redundancy and increase the radar covered area.

10. Phalcon for the Airforce.

11. RFP for 6 new refueling tankers will be released soon. The debate currently is whether to go for a repeat order of the IL-76MKI tankers or release a global tender. Either way the IAF will get 6 more tankers.

12. New missiles ranging from air to surface(BrahMos-Air Launched) or air to air(Python 5).

13. Dedicated Airplanes for its SF. 6 C-130'J' planes have been bought.

14. And i forgot, the IAF is networking ALL of its bases. Some private Indian company is involved, i think Tata. And has started fielding a computerized inventory, which means a new procedure for spares availability, etc is being made. Earlier they used registers etc to maintain logs of spares, etc, etc.

Also IAF is trying to network all of its assets (apart from the bases).

Practically EVERYTHING related to the IAF is getting modernized.
And i am sure i have missed quite a lot of other things as well.

 

[mujahideen]

What I want to know which company is going to get the tender for the 120 jets for the IAF?

 

[hoodhood1]

All this is going on with IAF and Pakistan is sitting quite. On the contrary India would have made Hue & Cry if PAF thinks of buying some new Aircrafts.

 

[Black Stone]

Does this mean, the LCA won't be in the IAF a long time?

 

[F.O.X]

All this is going on with IAF and Pakistan is sitting quite. On the contrary India would have made Hue & Cry if PAF thinks of buying some new Aircrafts.

We are not the ones who Shout loud about our power & stay quite & uses it when no one expected it.
"With more power there comes more danger"

You can Recall all the incidents from 1960 to 2007 you will knew.


Regards
Wilco

 

[Contrarian]

Does this mean, the LCA won't be in the IAF a long time?

Nope, LCA would start getting inducted into IAF as soon as HAL can produce them when, (i would say if, but considering that the IAF has sent its own team to work with ADA, and the way things are progressing on LCA, that is almost a given) they clear the user trials.

According to me, LCA would start getting inducted around 2010-2012. LCA will form a big part of the interceptor fleet. The MRCA is for the strike role in the heart, the replacement of the MiG 27's if you will. Albeit a way more powerful and expensive replacement.

LCA goes to replace the MiG 21 as the interceptor. I personally think IAF will have over 100 LCA's.

 

[EagleEyes]

malay, remind you that IAF want to keep only 3-4 platforms. Thats said. I doubt LCA.

Su-30
Mirage-2000
MRCA or LCA
Mig-29

 

[KENT]

malay, remind you that IAF want to keep only 3-4 platforms. Thats said. I doubt LCA.

IAF has categorize its fleet in terms of Heavy, Medium, Light.

Su-30
Mirage-2000
MRCA or LCA
Mig-29

MRCA or LCA ( How the hell on earth MRCA is being termed as Light catogery? Or that matter being equalized with LCA)

Su-30 MKI(Heavy Category)
MRCA (Medium Category)
LCA (Light Category)

Mig-29 and Mirage are medium weight fighter and currently being upgraded

 

[EagleEyes]

Are you trying to remind me that LCA will not be of the status of F-16 or JF-17?

The fighters are mainly categorized in their technological ability NOT size. LCA should be able to fulfill that role otherwise it has no place in the Indian Air Force, which seems to be the case so far in my opinion.

As far as MRCA is considered. It is a Multirole platform.. nothing to do with a medium category in size.

Rafale or Eurofighter will do (weapons systems) same as the Su-30 would.

 

[KENT]

Are you trying to remind me that LCA will not be of the status of F-16 or JF-17?

Does it sound anything like this from my previous post?

The fighters are mainly categorized in their technological ability NOT size.

Offcourse I haven't denied that! But payload of a particuler aircraft and deployement does make some difference?

LCA should be able to fulfill that role otherwise it has no place in the Indian Air Force, which seems to be the case so far in my opinion.

So far LCA is fulfilling all IAF requisitic or rather stringent requirements.

As far as MRCA is considered. It is a Multirole platform.. nothing to do with a medium category in size.

Whatever!

 

[Contrarian]

Are you trying to remind me that LCA will not be of the status of F-16 or JF-17?

The fighters are mainly categorized in their technological ability NOT size. LCA should be able to fulfill that role otherwise it has no place in the Indian Air Force, which seems to be the case so far in my opinion.

No webby. You are completely wrong here. Fighters are classified now according to their technological ability but by their weight and payload. Technological ability will be the same by and large for all the planes except for the heavy planes which can carry more and bigger equipment or dedicated planes like Jags which get litening pods specifically.

All the planes in IAF would be of Generation 4+. The question is not of technological ability but of the economical feability.

Heavy planes or two engined fighters in general cost MUCH MUCH more than a single engined light weight fighters. To operate them in massive numbers would mean a very very expensive for IAF.

The Su-30MKI classified as a H-MRCA is expensive to maintain, repair, rehaul, the cost per sortie is very high. Still the govt is buying 230 for the IAF because we can afford it. They would be the prime attack planes involved in any offensive.

M-MRCA is the MRCA competition, which as the GoI has repeatedly emphasized, would include the new procurement policy which includes life cycle costs, do you wonder why?

Their per sortie cost and per hour cost, maintenance, etc would be MUCH lesser than the Su-30MKI. They would form the strike component of the IAF.

LCA(Light combat aircraft) It would be the lightest aircraft with a heck of a lower operating and maitnenance cost compared to the Su-30MKI or the M-MRCA. They would form the Interceptor fleet of the IAF along with MiG 29 and Mirage 2005/9.

Thus we can operate them in big quantities to shore up the numbers without compromising ability.
There is a reason why PAF operates only single engined fighters.

If technological factor was the only reason, IAF could have bought 126 more Su-30MKI's in addition to the 230 already on order instead of the MRCA.

Any plane bought now would have to serve for around 30 years, whereas in 15 years the structural limits of the airframes of MiG 29 and MiG 2005/9 would be reached.

This is not to forget that IAF after shoring up the required numbers of the planes would start increasing their fleet size to the desired sqd strength of 49. IAF is getting massive money, as you may have realized.

As far as MRCA is considered. It is a Multirole platform.. nothing to do with a medium category in size.

It has EVERYTHING to do with medium category in size. Otherwise IAF would convert their entire AF into a Su-30MKI AF.

Rafale or Eurofighter will do (weapons systems) same as the Su-30 would.

Correct, but one cannot have a 500 Eurofighter fleet. It is not economical.

 

[fatman17]

Very informative Article.
If people can percieve, IAF is undergoing a complete transformation in every sense!

1. The existing ENTIRE fighter fleet of IAF is undergoing MLU. Every plane excluding the Su-30MKI, which should get MLU'ed around 2012-15.

MiG 29- Customized upgradation, based on the MiG 29M1. For people who dont know, this is different from the standard SMT upgrade and wayy better as well as wayy more expensive. That takes the plane upto near MiG 35 standards or near the Navy's MiG 29K standards.

Mirage 2000- Being upgraded to Mirage 2005/9 standards.

Jaguar-Already being upgraded, now more precision instruments and pods are being added.

MiG 21- Already being upgraded to Bison standard which makes it BVR capable as well as EW pods bought from Israel are being mounted.

2.Entirely new helicoptor fleet with new medium lift helicoptors along with the new ALU as Utility Helicoptor and LCH(Light Combat Helicoptor).

3. New surveillance radars from Israel.Medium portable radars,
4 more Aerostat radars for the Pakistani border. The radar coverage,currently pathetic in the NE is being rehauled.

Indigenous radars like Rajendra,3D CAR are proving invaluable in this effort to fill the radar coverage gaps that exist.

4. All the bases of IAF are getting modernized. New infrastructure is being built at almost all the bases. From New runways to new buildings and radars.

5. Dramatically increasing the size of its transport fleet and heavy lift capability with Multirole Transport Aircraft.

6. Completely new air defence system, ranging from Barak 8 Long Range Area Defence SAM,
Akash, Spyder for Medium Range SAM,
Maitri for Low Level SAM.

7.An entirely new fleet of planes-the MRCA and the LCA.

8. Entirely new pilot training regimen with three phases(though this existed earlier).

106 BAe Hawks !
Intermediate Jet Trainer,
Hindustan Jet Trainer.

9. The Civilian radar coverage is being mated to the military radar coverage for the IAF, to reduce redundancy and increase the radar covered area.

10. Phalcon for the Airforce.

11. RFP for 6 new refueling tankers will be released soon. The debate currently is whether to go for a repeat order of the IL-76MKI tankers or release a global tender. Either way the IAF will get 6 more tankers.

12. New missiles ranging from air to surface(BrahMos-Air Launched) or air to air(Python 5).

13. Dedicated Airplanes for its SF. 6 C-130'J' planes have been bought.

Practically EVERYTHING related to the IAF is getting modernized.
And i am sure i have missed quite a lot of other things as well.

Very informative & Impressive list of IAF modernization.

 

[Contrarian]

And i forgot, the IAF is networking ALL of its bases. Some private Indian company is involved, i think Tata. ANd has started fielding a computerized inventory, which means a new procedure for spares availability, etc is being made. Earlier they used registers etc to maintain logs of spares, etc, etc.

Also IAF is trying to network all of its assets.

 

[Flintlock]

I think Antony has finally woken up and smelled the Chinese coffee.