Before barking I recommend reading the paragraph referring to HAL and the installation of equipment - "The rest of the about 46 aircraft fleet will be upgraded in Bangalore under the responsibility of state-run HAL." Now I pray that HAL is competent enough to install equipment, without screwing up.
HAL do have the upgradation facilities.
Mirage facility in HAL in January, and learned that the
third and fourth upgraded fighter would be completed in September and November 2015 respectively. There are 120-130 technicians working in HAL’s Mirage 2000 upgrade and overhaul facility in Bengaluru.
HAL would upgrade the remaining 47 Mirage 2000s without assistance, fitting in upgrade kits provided by Dassault and Thales. This would take 7-10 years.
While the upgrade does not involve fitting a new engine, it includes extensive avionics upgrades. Thales is providing a new radar, mission computer and electronic warfare suite, said the French vendors in a statement today.
In place of the old analogue instruments in the cockpit, the pilots will now have an “all-glass cockpit”, with video displays of flight parameters and weapons aiming and operation. They will also have helmet-mounted sights, which allow pilots to aim weapons at targets merely by looking at them.
In a linked contract, the IAF has procured 490 MICA “beyond visual range” missiles from French company, MBDA, for Rs 6,600 crore.
The IAF places high confidence in its Mirage 2000, which have not just provided high serviceability rates but were also modified for delivering “precision-guided munitions”, or laser-guided smart bombs, during the Kargil conflict in 1999.
Alongside the upgrade, HAL is simultaneously overhauling its entire Mirage 2000 fleet, a year-long procedure that each fighter undergoes after flying 2000 hours or 13 years, whichever happens first. The entire Mirage 2000 fleet underwent a first round of overhaul from 1991-94. The second overhaul round began in 2009.
“We have developed a high degree of expertise in maintaining, overhauling and now upgrading the Mirage 2000”, said a HAL line manager.
The Mica RF missile is the weapon of choice for air-to-air engagements of the Mirage 2000-5, Mirage 2000-9 and Rafale aircraft.
Another big contract, which was being progressed simultaneously, for around
450 MICA (interception and aerial combat missiles) systems to arm the upgraded Mirages is also in the final stages now,” said a source… This means the overall Mirage upgrade package, including the fire-and-forget MICA missiles and the infrastructure build-up at HAL, will eventually cross the Rs 15,000-crore mark.”
On 17th March 1998 an agreement was concluded between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Dassault Aviation.
HAL was made the nodal point to undertake Mirage 2000 Major Inspection for global customers. Currently, we are the only Organization authorized to undertake Major Inspection of Mirage 2000 aircraft outside France.
- Major Inspection of Mirage Aircraft and Overhaul of Accessories.
- Upgrades like HMSD (Helmet Mounted Sight Display).
- Environmental Control System for LRU Storage and Computer Based Vertical and Mobile storage
for Spares.
- Successful Completion of Ageing Study 2 on Mirage Aircraft and ongoing execution of Major Inspection II.
- Future programs like Mirage Midlife Upgrade of Avionics and Armament.
- In-house facility for fabrication of Aluminium and Titanium pipe lines up to 16” diameter.
- Overhaul Division is capable of carrying out IV line Servicing for 226 types of Mirage Rotables apart from airframe and other Structural Components.
- Deputation of Technical Experts for I and II line Servicing at Mirage Aircraft Operating bases.
- Belly landing Repairs , Battle Damage Repairs and Bird Strike Repairs.
