India undertaking major rejig of fighter induction to meet threats from Pak, China

[Zarvan]

French Rafale fighters.
Text resize:AAA

NEW DELHI: With China "exponentially" ramping up its air combat operations in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), even as Pakistan expands and upgrades its F-16 fleet, India is going in for a major rejig of its fighter induction and serviceability plans to be ready for any individual or collusive threat in the years ahead.

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Saturday said several plans were under way for induction and deployment of "potent assets" as well as infrastructure development along the borders, even though he admitted China was developing "tremendous" military capabilities at a very rapid clip.

As for Pakistan, on being asked if IAF could take out the terror camps across the border if required, ACM Raha said his force had the requisite "capability" but the "intent" or "decision" to undertake such surgical strikes "is a political one".

"We are not looking at one-front or two-front war. We just want capabilities to deter a war and project power in our area of strategic interest. We are looking at building our fighter combat squadrons to 42 by 2027," said ACM Raha.

Towards this, the IAF chief said he expected the contract for the direct acquisition of 36 French Rafale fighters - which was decided during the Modi-Hollande summit in April -- to be inked before the end of this year.

But IAF is down to just 35 fighter squadrons, which includes a mix of obsolete jets like MiG-21s and MiG-27s being progressively retired as well as new fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs grappling with poor serviceability rates. Just two new squadrons of Rafales, expected to cost around $5 billion, will not make up the desperately-required numbers.

"As IAF chief, I would certainly want more...at least six MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) squadrons, whether they are Rafales or some other alternative. But they have to be viable in terms of costs, transfer of technology and the Make in India policy. The government will decide in due course," said ACM Raha.

Concurrently, the stress now in on "improving" the indigenous Tejas Mark-I fighter and then jumping straight onto the development of the indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) or AMCA (advanced medium combat aircraft) by junking the development of a Tejas Mark-II.

As was first reported by TOI, with the preliminary design work for the twin-engine AMCA over, the aim is to fly its first prototype by 2023-2024. It will combine advanced stealth, super-cruise (capability to achieve supersonic cruise speeds without use of afterburners), super-maneuverability, data fusion and multi-sensor integration on a single fighter.

The thrust on AMCA, of course, also puts a big question mark on the future of the proposed joint project with Russia to co-develop and co-produce a FGFA modelled on its Sukhoi T-50 or PAK-FA.

Apart from long-term strategic and economic reasons behind the push for the indigenous AMCA, India is not happy with the technical, cost and delivery timeframes bedeviling the Russian FGFA. The PAK-FA, for instance, can still not super-cruise, which is critical for the capability to "look first and shoot first".

"But the "issues" in the Indo-Russian FGFA project are being "addressed at the highest levels" now. India is keeping all options open ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow in December, which range from an off-the-shelf purchase of 60-65 fighters to undertaking the joint production envisaged earlier.

India undertaking major rejig of fighter induction to meet threats from Pak, China - The Times of India

 

[ganesh623]

Its just a indian bluff to prepare aganst pakistan and china.
Eventually all these will end up being used against one only, and overwhelming the opposite party.

 

[45'22']

Mk2 is scrapped ?

 

[sathya]

Mk2 is scrapped ?

IAF is second in the waiting line after Navy..
Scrapping or not, development of mk2 will continue

 

[GURU DUTT]

i guess its better to make LCA more potent yet lighter(on wieght) than going for a new design but "for the time bieng" and keep on developing MK-2 into a stealthy version instead of wasting money on just a few cosmatic changes and put more effort in AMCA & AURA

 

[The Ultranationalist]

good move

 

[CorporateAffairs]

Meet threats from PAK

 

[Joe Shearer]

French Rafale fighters.
Text resize:AAA

NEW DELHI: With China "exponentially" ramping up its air combat operations in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), even as Pakistan expands and upgrades its F-16 fleet, India is going in for a major rejig of its fighter induction and serviceability plans to be ready for any individual or collusive threat in the years ahead.

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Saturday said several plans were under way for induction and deployment of "potent assets" as well as infrastructure development along the borders, even though he admitted China was developing "tremendous" military capabilities at a very rapid clip.

As for Pakistan, on being asked if IAF could take out the terror camps across the border if required, ACM Raha said his force had the requisite "capability" but the "intent" or "decision" to undertake such surgical strikes "is a political one".

"We are not looking at one-front or two-front war. We just want capabilities to deter a war and project power in our area of strategic interest. We are looking at building our fighter combat squadrons to 42 by 2027," said ACM Raha.

Towards this, the IAF chief said he expected the contract for the direct acquisition of 36 French Rafale fighters - which was decided during the Modi-Hollande summit in April -- to be inked before the end of this year.

But IAF is down to just 35 fighter squadrons, which includes a mix of obsolete jets like MiG-21s and MiG-27s being progressively retired as well as new fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs grappling with poor serviceability rates. Just two new squadrons of Rafales, expected to cost around $5 billion, will not make up the desperately-required numbers.

"As IAF chief, I would certainly want more...at least six MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) squadrons, whether they are Rafales or some other alternative. But they have to be viable in terms of costs, transfer of technology and the Make in India policy. The government will decide in due course," said ACM Raha.

Concurrently, the stress now in on "improving" the indigenous Tejas Mark-I fighter and then jumping straight onto the development of the indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) or AMCA (advanced medium combat aircraft) by junking the development of a Tejas Mark-II.

As was first reported by TOI, with the preliminary design work for the twin-engine AMCA over, the aim is to fly its first prototype by 2023-2024. It will combine advanced stealth, super-cruise (capability to achieve supersonic cruise speeds without use of afterburners), super-maneuverability, data fusion and multi-sensor integration on a single fighter.

The thrust on AMCA, of course, also puts a big question mark on the future of the proposed joint project with Russia to co-develop and co-produce a FGFA modelled on its Sukhoi T-50 or PAK-FA.

Apart from long-term strategic and economic reasons behind the push for the indigenous AMCA, India is not happy with the technical, cost and delivery timeframes bedeviling the Russian FGFA. The PAK-FA, for instance, can still not super-cruise, which is critical for the capability to "look first and shoot first".

"But the "issues" in the Indo-Russian FGFA project are being "addressed at the highest levels" now. India is keeping all options open ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow in December, which range from an off-the-shelf purchase of 60-65 fighters to undertaking the joint production envisaged earlier.

India undertaking major rejig of fighter induction to meet threats from Pak, China - The Times of India

I seriously fear that we are making a strategic error here.

 

[sankar]

Let us wait and see how this unfolds. One thing is sure, Now Modi is at helm. So, nothing is going to stop midway as such in earlier days.

I seriously fear that we are making a strategic error here.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Let us wait and see how this unfolds. One thing is sure, Now Modi is at helm. So, nothing is going to stop midway as such in earlier days.

Modi may be at the helm, but he has no brains, only a 56" chest. How are we better off?

 

[Spectre]

I seriously fear that we are making a strategic error here.

How? Can you please elaborate?

 

[sankar]

Modi may be at the helm, but he has no brains, only a 56" chest. How are we better off?

You have wait and see if he has only 56" or a brainer too.

 

[Joe Shearer]

How? Can you please elaborate?

We have three issues to address here.

First, meeting the immediate threat of a very well-trained and well-manned PAF. Second, coping with the sharp increase in the PLAAF strength in Tibet, which will really be impossible to match plane by plane, and has to be dealt with through an indirect approach. Third, the changing nature of the battlefield of the future.

It is the third of these that I fear is being neglected.

The first part is, imho, already taken care of. We have nothing to do but work on a steady state of the capability to neutralise any offensive by the PAF, including offensives using the blank spot in our defences over the Arabian Sea. Not done properly yet, but a bounded and clearly defined task.

The second part surely needs neutralisation through air defence capabilities, and a far greater concentration on missile defense than is now the case. We simply cannot fight the Chinese at the airfield level, not as long as they can defeat us at the photocopying machine and the forced cheap labour fronts. That, in any case, is a separate subject.

The third part needs us to overhaul our entire philosophy of war-fighting on the western front (as distinct from the eastern and northern fronts). It is this part that is worrying. We seem to be gearing ourselves up to fight the previous war, not future wars.

You have wait and see if he has only 56" or a brainer too.

I think that particular discussion was over some time ago. If it's all the same with you, may I stop holding my breath and go on with the rest of my life?

 

[GR!FF!N]

LOLed at "Mk-II Scrapped"..then I noticed,its TOI.

by the way,this one may interests you guys..

Parrikar cuts Gordian knot to boost Tejas line

For years, the development of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has followed a two-stage road map: First, an initial Tejas Mark I was to be developed, powered by the General Electric (GE) F-404IN engine. A more capable Tejas Mark II, featuring the more powerful GE F-414 engine, would follow this.

The Business Standard first reported (August 13, With Tejas Mark II years away, HAL asks air force to buy Tejas Mark 1A) the proposal to build an interim fighter, referred to as the Tejas Mark 1A.

Now the Business Standard has details of the interim fighter, which would fly with the same F-404 engine as the Tejas Mark I, but yet be more capable than the version currently cleared for production.

The aeronautical establishment is referring to the interim fighter as Tejas Mark 1A, though this name has not been officially allocated.

The Mark 1A will overcome a major drawback in the Mark I, the absence of a "self-protection jammer". Fighter aircraft have these "electronic warfare" (EW) systems to jam or blind enemy radars, preventing them from detecting the aircraft; and to prevent air-to-air and ground-to-air missiles from homing onto the fighter.

The Tejas Mark I was to have an "on-board EW system", but lacks the space for one. It has, therefore, been decided to develop an EW pod for the Mark 1A, which will be carried externally under the fighter's wing.

The Mark 1A will also have a mid-air refuelling probe to enhance its endurance and operational range. It will be integrated with long-range Derby and Python air-to-air missiles for aerial combat, and its internal systems will be re-arranged for better accessibility, making the fighter easier to maintain.

Ministry and Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) sources say defence minister Manohar Parrikar has thrown his weight behind this initiative. At his persuasion, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has begun preparing a procurement proposal for 80 Tejas fighters, over and above the 20 Tejas Mark I already on order in "initial operational certification" configuration.

The IAF had earlier agreed to buy another 20 Tejas Mark I, once the fighter obtains "final operational certification", a much-delayed landmark expected in early 2016. It is unclear whether that order will stand, or be integrated into the proposed order for 80 Tejas Mark 1As.

Parrikar's decisive move cuts a Gordian knot that has bedevilled Tejas production. For years Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the agency that will mass-produce the Tejas, has resisted increasing production-line capacity, because the IAF has only committed to buying 40 fighters. In a chicken-and-egg situation, the IAF cites HAL's slow production rate as the reason for not ordering more Tejas.

The result: In the past two years, HAL has built just one Tejas. Meanwhile, the IAF responds to its dwindling fighter numbers - now only 34 squadrons - with demands for quickly buying large numbers of the Dassault Rafale from France.

Parrikar calculates that, with an order for 100 Tejas in hand, HAL will have the business case for quickly boosting production to at least 16 fighters per year.

Meanwhile, the Tejas Mark II will continue development, say sources in the DRDO, which oversees the Tejas development programme.

A defence ministry official concurs, pointing out: "The Tejas Mark II is not just for the IAF. The navy believes the Naval Tejas must have an F-414 engine to be able to take off from an aircraft carrier's short deck. So Tejas Mark II development will continue alongside the Mark 1A."

With the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) - the DRDO agency that has built the Tejas - targeting 2022-23 for completing the Tejas Mark II, HAL has seven years of production of the Mark I and the Mark IA. The defence ministry calculates that a 100-Tejas order is essential to keep it working to capacity.

Meanwhile, alongside the Tejas Mark II, ADA would also be working on the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), an indigenous, fifth-generation fighter already on the drawing board. ADA engineers point out that advanced technologies being developed for AMCA would inevitably leak into the Tejas Mark II, making the light fighter more advanced than currently anticipated.

Parrikar cuts Gordian knot to boost Tejas line | Business Standard News

much better reporting.

 

[sankar]

We have three issues to address here.

First, meeting the immediate threat of a very well-trained and well-manned PAF. Second, coping with the sharp increase in the PLAAF strength in Tibet, which will really be impossible to match plane by plane, and has to be dealt with through an indirect approach. Third, the changing nature of the battlefield of the future.

It is the third of these that I fear is being neglected.

The first part is, imho, already taken care of. We have nothing to do but work on a steady state of the capability to neutralise any offensive by the PAF, including offensives using the blank spot in our defences over the Arabian Sea. Not done properly yet, but a bounded and clearly defined task.

The second part surely needs neutralisation through air defence capabilities, and a far greater concentration on missile defense than is now the case. We simply cannot fight the Chinese at the airfield level, not as long as they can defeat us at the photocopying machine and the forced cheap labour fronts. That, in any case, is a separate subject.

The third part needs us to overhaul our entire philosophy of war-fighting on the western front (as distinct from the eastern and northern fronts). It is this part that is worrying. We seem to be gearing ourselves up to fight the previous war, not future wars.



I think that particular discussion was over some time ago. If it's all the same with you, may I stop holding my breath and go on with the rest of my life?

Well it is your choice. But you are one who asked / raised this point and I replied.
Anyway I read your other points/reply which is quite outstanding observer. But yes it can be taken care of. Already there is plan in for issues you raised.

TO dig deeper - China is preparing for a threat , if needed a war(limited) to annexe Jammy and Kashmir to Pakistan. So, let us see how many brainers in India to dissovle this threat.