Indian Air Force News & Discussions
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SpArK
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IAF carries out checks on mishap-prone MiG-27
NEW DELHI (PTI): With three MiG-27 fighter jet crashes being reported this year, the IAF has launched comprehensive checks on the fleet, which will not feature in the Air Force Day parade on October 8 at Hindon near here.
Calling the mishaps a "serious issue", IAF's Western Air Command (WAC) Chief Air Marshal N A K Browne told reporters here today these were "a matter of concern" for the Air Force.
The fleet had trouble with its engines and had to be grounded earlier this year.
But Browne said the reason for the Russian-origin fighter jet not featuring in the air display during the Air Force Day parade was because it was not deployed in the WAC's area of responsibility.
"MiG-27s have faced some problems with its engines. Yes, it is a matter of concern for all in the Air Force. It is a serious issue. Some checks are going on the aircraft right now," he said in reply to questions, but did not commit if these jets were grounded once again.
MiG-27s were grounded in February this year after one of the planes crashed near Hashimara in West Bengal on February 16 killing an ace fighter pilot.
After through checks, it was authorised to resume flying in June this year, but soon two other MiG-27s crashed -- one on July 24 again near Hashimara and another on September 24 near Kalaikunda.
Browne said the technical team of IAF was looking at the aircraft fleet now to identify if there were any faults.
The IAF operates over 100 single-seater variants of MiG-27 in eight of its 33 fighter squadrons. But the fleet faced trouble from its R-29 engines.
The two-seater trainer variants of the aircraft continue to remain operational as they are not equipped with R-29 engines.
MiG-27s perform a swing-wing role for both air-to-air and ground attacks.
After the crash in February, the IAF's investigation found that it could have taken place due to failure of "low pressure turbine blades" in the engine.
The aircraft is a 1980s vintage platform of the Air Force and the 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), for which tenders are currently under process, will replace it in the 500-aircraft strong IAF fleet.
The Air Force Day parade this year will otherwise witness air display by Su-30s, MiG-29s, Jaguars, Mirages and MiG-21 Bison fighter jets, apart from transport aircraft and helicopters and a performance from the IAF's aerobatics team 'Surya Kirans'.
IAF carries out checks on mishap-prone MiG-27 :: Brahmand.com
RPK
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IAF to receive two modernised An-32 planes from Ukraine
The Indian Air Force will receive two modernised An-32 light transport planes built by Ukraine this month under a USD 600 million deal, the biggest bilateral agreement between the two countries.
The planes which were modernised by Ukraine's Antonov state enterprise under the Ukrainian-Indian contract for repairs will be delivered to India in October, Antonov's President and Director-General Dmitry Kiva was quoted as saying by Russian newsagency Itar-Tass yesterday.
According to Kiva, the planes were modernised under the Ukranian-Indian contract for repairs, modernisation and extension of service life of 105 An-32 planes up to 40 years. It is the biggest deal in the entire history of the Ukrainian-Indian relations as the sum of the contract signed in June 2009 stands at USD 600 million.
First five An-32 planes were delivered to Kiev in March 2010, followed by five more planes in June. The first two planes were completely modernised in July, another one in September.
According to Kiva, the market capacity for the new An-32 is estimated at 45 planes. The Antonov Kiev-based plant plans to manufacture seven An-32 planes till the year 2015, including three in 2010, three in 2011, and one in 2012.
One An-32 planes has already been manufactures, and the other two will be made till the year end, as provided in the production plan.
The Indian Air Force will receive two modernised An-32 light transport planes built by Ukraine this month under a USD 600 million deal, the biggest bilateral agreement between the two countries.
The planes which were modernised by Ukraine's Antonov state enterprise under the Ukrainian-Indian contract for repairs will be delivered to India in October, Antonov's President and Director-General Dmitry Kiva was quoted as saying by Russian newsagency Itar-Tass yesterday.
According to Kiva, the planes were modernised under the Ukranian-Indian contract for repairs, modernisation and extension of service life of 105 An-32 planes up to 40 years. It is the biggest deal in the entire history of the Ukrainian-Indian relations as the sum of the contract signed in June 2009 stands at USD 600 million.
First five An-32 planes were delivered to Kiev in March 2010, followed by five more planes in June. The first two planes were completely modernised in July, another one in September.
According to Kiva, the market capacity for the new An-32 is estimated at 45 planes. The Antonov Kiev-based plant plans to manufacture seven An-32 planes till the year 2015, including three in 2010, three in 2011, and one in 2012.
One An-32 planes has already been manufactures, and the other two will be made till the year end, as provided in the production plan.
SpArK
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IAF to buy system for rescuing pilots, planes after mishaps
With air mishaps dogging its fleet, the IAF will buy a Search and Rescue System (SRS) for post-crash recovery of crew, aircraft and helicopters, be it during war or peace.
"The defence ministry intends to procure SRS for carrying out secure rescue of aircrew and aircraft during combat as well as peace time for which a request for information has been issued," a senior IAF officer said today.
"The IAF intends to employ the equipment for recovering downed aircrew and aircraft. The system being bought will be put to use by IAF for over 20 years," the officer said.
On an average, the IAF suffers about 10 air crashes a year involving its fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters. It had recorded 14 mishaps in 2009, including two Sukhoi fighter jet crashes. This year, it has already had over half-a-dozen mishaps, including three MiG-27 crashes.
The light weight SRS would consist of personal rescue beacons, emergency locator transmitters, automatic locator transmitter and programming units based on 406 MHz frequency.
"SRS is an equipment that can be carried on person by fighter and helicopter crew flight jackets, be fitted on airframe of various transport aircraft and helicopters, be these slow prop or fast jets," the officer said.
The IAF was looking at an equipment with operational capabilities to undertake missions at altitudes between less than 1,000 feet to 60,000 feet at speed of 90 to 600 knots.
The SRS would get automatically or manually activated by pilots or once it came in contact with saline water, transmitting distress data through satellites using 406 MHz frequency and position data using GPS signals.
"It must be light weight and be capable of single-hand operations. Its must be programmable at frequencies including 406 MHz with encryption codes and have built-in GPS with capability to transmit position data and also usable as normal GPS with map display for aircrew," the officer said, giving details of what the IAF was looking for in SRS.
"It must be capable of transmission on being interrogated by airborne stations with matching codes, have lighting on the sensors. It can be carried in flying jacket (NATO standards) as well as in survival pack as a single unit," he added.
With rechargeable maintenance-free batteries capable of minimum of 72 hours operations in standby mode, the system would provide pilots the facility for voice communication with a talk time of one hour with rechargeable solar cells.
"The SRS should have a power output of minimum two watts and be capable of satellite communication and ground-to-air range of 200 km," the officer added.
The airborne locator interrogators and automatic locator system on SRS would display ranges, bearings and co-ordinates in latitude and longitude format of the location of distress with a range of 200 km along with a positional accuracy of not less than 100 metres and directional accuracy of not less than 2 degrees.
With air mishaps dogging its fleet, the IAF will buy a Search and Rescue System (SRS) for post-crash recovery of crew, aircraft and helicopters, be it during war or peace.
"The defence ministry intends to procure SRS for carrying out secure rescue of aircrew and aircraft during combat as well as peace time for which a request for information has been issued," a senior IAF officer said today.
"The IAF intends to employ the equipment for recovering downed aircrew and aircraft. The system being bought will be put to use by IAF for over 20 years," the officer said.
On an average, the IAF suffers about 10 air crashes a year involving its fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters. It had recorded 14 mishaps in 2009, including two Sukhoi fighter jet crashes. This year, it has already had over half-a-dozen mishaps, including three MiG-27 crashes.
The light weight SRS would consist of personal rescue beacons, emergency locator transmitters, automatic locator transmitter and programming units based on 406 MHz frequency.
"SRS is an equipment that can be carried on person by fighter and helicopter crew flight jackets, be fitted on airframe of various transport aircraft and helicopters, be these slow prop or fast jets," the officer said.
The IAF was looking at an equipment with operational capabilities to undertake missions at altitudes between less than 1,000 feet to 60,000 feet at speed of 90 to 600 knots.
The SRS would get automatically or manually activated by pilots or once it came in contact with saline water, transmitting distress data through satellites using 406 MHz frequency and position data using GPS signals.
"It must be light weight and be capable of single-hand operations. Its must be programmable at frequencies including 406 MHz with encryption codes and have built-in GPS with capability to transmit position data and also usable as normal GPS with map display for aircrew," the officer said, giving details of what the IAF was looking for in SRS.
"It must be capable of transmission on being interrogated by airborne stations with matching codes, have lighting on the sensors. It can be carried in flying jacket (NATO standards) as well as in survival pack as a single unit," he added.
With rechargeable maintenance-free batteries capable of minimum of 72 hours operations in standby mode, the system would provide pilots the facility for voice communication with a talk time of one hour with rechargeable solar cells.
"The SRS should have a power output of minimum two watts and be capable of satellite communication and ground-to-air range of 200 km," the officer added.
The airborne locator interrogators and automatic locator system on SRS would display ranges, bearings and co-ordinates in latitude and longitude format of the location of distress with a range of 200 km along with a positional accuracy of not less than 100 metres and directional accuracy of not less than 2 degrees.
About time.. I always wondered how difficult it must have been for IAF pilots having to bail out to to technical problems.. considering the natural haven that India is.. from dense vegetation.. to blistering cold climates.. to barren deserts.
redpearl75
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India takes first steps towards own regional aircraft
India’s very own Regional Transport Aircraft, or RTA, is taking shape. This is notwithstanding the criticism heaped on the indigenous small passenger aircraft programmes like Saras and Hansa.
An RTA is said to be more suitable for a place like India where within a radius of 300-400 km of a big city you have another one.
The Rs 3,000-4,000 crore project was set-in motion a month earlier by the Defense Research and Development Organisation. National Aeronautics Limited is the nodal agency for the design of the aircraft. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is expected to produce it.
The project is expected to give a shot in the arm to the aviation sector in the country. RTA is more suitable to reach places within a 500-km radius. The aircraft would have a range of 600 km to 800 km. HAL and the NAL have not decided on many aspects of the aircraft such as work share, funding and even whether the aircraft will have a turbo-prop or turbo jet engine. NAL had held discussions with Pratt & Whitney (Canada) and General Electric (US) for an engine.
Quest Global, the outsourced manufacturing company, is now in the design team for RTA. It hopes to be involved in the manufacturing too.
“It is the point-to-point connecting ability of RTAs that could make it popular today, and could hold sway in future too,” said Aravind Melligeri, Chairman & Co-founder of Quest Global. The hub-and-spoke model is not favoured by many who do not want to get on or off aircrafts to reach their destination.
About 400 of these regional jets are expected to be manufactured. Of these, 200 will go to the armed forces.
The CSIR-funded project draws from the experience derived from developing the Saras and the Hansa. “The two projects showed that NAL can design an aircraft,” said Melligeri.
But, is there a market big enough for the aircraft to spend that much money? “There is a market for it in India. The next phase of growth in the aviation industry would be tier-II and tier-III cities,” said Amber Dubey, director, KPMG. The RTA would also cater to the needs of different sectors such as tourism, SEZs, ports, and cargo hubs. Such places may not have the critical mass to justify a B-737 or A-320. With a runway requirement of around 900m, the RTA can help revive many of the old unused airstrips in the country,” added Dubey.
“The pricing will have to be strategic. It is destined to face retaliatory action from the market leader ATR. It will need government support in the initial phase,” added Dubey.
“Collaborative development would be key. There is no point in reinventing the wheel on some of the critical elements like engines, avionics, composites among other things for which a reliable global supply chain exists,” Dubey said. “These can be indigenised over the longer term.”
But, it’s the question of having the capability in India. The MROs and aerospace SEZ, for instance, could play a big role in helping India develop indigenous capabilities over time. NAL held a pre-bid conference for avionics for the regional transport aircraft for the RTA, the 70-seater aircraft.
From India, for supplying the avionics system, companies like TCS, Accord Software and Systems, HAL Edgewood, Axis Technology, participated to get more information on the future requirements.
The project has got the sanction for the first stage with a funding of about Rs 300 crore which has already been given by the government. This stage involves high-level design. “Additional funding will be secured as the project makes progress,” said sources from NAL.
It will be a combination of Indian and foreign avionics. Rockwell Collins and Diehl Aerospace, the German aerospace firm, are among companies vying to bag the project to supply some of the systems. Indian engineering helps reduce engineering costs.
The MROs in Nagpur and elsewhere and the aerospace park in Belgaum of Quest are helping build capacity. The sub-assemblies and sub-systems may be brought in as part of the offset programme.
India has been well behind other countries that are developing an RTA. Japan, in 10 years, has managed to develop the Mitsubishi RJ.
Russians and Chinese too are right in front in developing the aircraft. Sukhoi Superjet-100 of Russia and the ARJ21 regional jet is being developed in China, by the AVIC-I Commercial Aircraft Company (ACAC), based in Shanghai, which is a consortium of six companies and aerospace research institutes carrying out the development and manufacture of the aircraft. But, warn experts, unlike the LCA programme, it should stick to the timeline set.
Technologies required would include a laminar flow wing, hydrophobic coatings, use of low cost composites, fly-by-wire controls, advanced avionics that will enable the use of ill-equipped airfields, integrated vehicle health monitoring among others, said an NAL source.
In August 2008 former President A P J Abdul Kalam said India can produce small passenger jets by 2020. For this, India needs to make optimum use of its technology in the aerospace sector.
India’s very own Regional Transport Aircraft, or RTA, is taking shape. This is notwithstanding the criticism heaped on the indigenous small passenger aircraft programmes like Saras and Hansa.
An RTA is said to be more suitable for a place like India where within a radius of 300-400 km of a big city you have another one.
The Rs 3,000-4,000 crore project was set-in motion a month earlier by the Defense Research and Development Organisation. National Aeronautics Limited is the nodal agency for the design of the aircraft. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is expected to produce it.
The project is expected to give a shot in the arm to the aviation sector in the country. RTA is more suitable to reach places within a 500-km radius. The aircraft would have a range of 600 km to 800 km. HAL and the NAL have not decided on many aspects of the aircraft such as work share, funding and even whether the aircraft will have a turbo-prop or turbo jet engine. NAL had held discussions with Pratt & Whitney (Canada) and General Electric (US) for an engine.
Quest Global, the outsourced manufacturing company, is now in the design team for RTA. It hopes to be involved in the manufacturing too.
“It is the point-to-point connecting ability of RTAs that could make it popular today, and could hold sway in future too,” said Aravind Melligeri, Chairman & Co-founder of Quest Global. The hub-and-spoke model is not favoured by many who do not want to get on or off aircrafts to reach their destination.
About 400 of these regional jets are expected to be manufactured. Of these, 200 will go to the armed forces.
The CSIR-funded project draws from the experience derived from developing the Saras and the Hansa. “The two projects showed that NAL can design an aircraft,” said Melligeri.
But, is there a market big enough for the aircraft to spend that much money? “There is a market for it in India. The next phase of growth in the aviation industry would be tier-II and tier-III cities,” said Amber Dubey, director, KPMG. The RTA would also cater to the needs of different sectors such as tourism, SEZs, ports, and cargo hubs. Such places may not have the critical mass to justify a B-737 or A-320. With a runway requirement of around 900m, the RTA can help revive many of the old unused airstrips in the country,” added Dubey.
“The pricing will have to be strategic. It is destined to face retaliatory action from the market leader ATR. It will need government support in the initial phase,” added Dubey.
“Collaborative development would be key. There is no point in reinventing the wheel on some of the critical elements like engines, avionics, composites among other things for which a reliable global supply chain exists,” Dubey said. “These can be indigenised over the longer term.”
But, it’s the question of having the capability in India. The MROs and aerospace SEZ, for instance, could play a big role in helping India develop indigenous capabilities over time. NAL held a pre-bid conference for avionics for the regional transport aircraft for the RTA, the 70-seater aircraft.
From India, for supplying the avionics system, companies like TCS, Accord Software and Systems, HAL Edgewood, Axis Technology, participated to get more information on the future requirements.
The project has got the sanction for the first stage with a funding of about Rs 300 crore which has already been given by the government. This stage involves high-level design. “Additional funding will be secured as the project makes progress,” said sources from NAL.
It will be a combination of Indian and foreign avionics. Rockwell Collins and Diehl Aerospace, the German aerospace firm, are among companies vying to bag the project to supply some of the systems. Indian engineering helps reduce engineering costs.
The MROs in Nagpur and elsewhere and the aerospace park in Belgaum of Quest are helping build capacity. The sub-assemblies and sub-systems may be brought in as part of the offset programme.
India has been well behind other countries that are developing an RTA. Japan, in 10 years, has managed to develop the Mitsubishi RJ.
Russians and Chinese too are right in front in developing the aircraft. Sukhoi Superjet-100 of Russia and the ARJ21 regional jet is being developed in China, by the AVIC-I Commercial Aircraft Company (ACAC), based in Shanghai, which is a consortium of six companies and aerospace research institutes carrying out the development and manufacture of the aircraft. But, warn experts, unlike the LCA programme, it should stick to the timeline set.
Technologies required would include a laminar flow wing, hydrophobic coatings, use of low cost composites, fly-by-wire controls, advanced avionics that will enable the use of ill-equipped airfields, integrated vehicle health monitoring among others, said an NAL source.
In August 2008 former President A P J Abdul Kalam said India can produce small passenger jets by 2020. For this, India needs to make optimum use of its technology in the aerospace sector.
redpearl75
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Indian Air Force Targeting 200-250 Fifth Generation Fighter Jets: Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik
2010-10-04 India will have a fleet of 200 to 250 fifth generation fighter aircraft, which it is planning to jointly develop with Russia over the next 10 years. India has finalized a preliminary design contract (PDC) with Russia after years of deliberations and will jointly develop a fifth-generation stealth fighter with Russia. Each fifth generation fighter is likely to cost India about 100 million dollars.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, said: "We are looking for about 200 to 250 fifth generation fighters. Some of the features we like the aircraft to possess are swing role, could fly for longer durations without refueling, super cruise, better reliability and maintainability, higher level mission computers, etc."
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Indian Air Force's 78th Anniversary this year, he said on Monday that the fifth generation fighters will start rolling out by 2017. The contract is likely to be signed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to New Delhi in December, if the preliminary design contract is approved by India.
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited would be the Indian designer and builder of the stealth fighter and could cost India six billion dollar. India's share will be about 30 percent of the total design in the stealth fighter project, and mainly focus on the composite components with the stealth function and some electronics equipments, such as avionics, electronic warfare systems and cockpit displays.
India will also be responsible to design from the single-seat stealth fighter into a two-seater type, which would be deployed by the Indian Air Force. Russia's Sukhoi Design Bureau has been developing the stealth fifth-generation fighter PAK-FA with a range of more than 5,000 km since 1990's.
---------- Post added at 08:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 PM ----------
Sounds awesome to me....
2010-10-04 India will have a fleet of 200 to 250 fifth generation fighter aircraft, which it is planning to jointly develop with Russia over the next 10 years. India has finalized a preliminary design contract (PDC) with Russia after years of deliberations and will jointly develop a fifth-generation stealth fighter with Russia. Each fifth generation fighter is likely to cost India about 100 million dollars.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, said: "We are looking for about 200 to 250 fifth generation fighters. Some of the features we like the aircraft to possess are swing role, could fly for longer durations without refueling, super cruise, better reliability and maintainability, higher level mission computers, etc."
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Indian Air Force's 78th Anniversary this year, he said on Monday that the fifth generation fighters will start rolling out by 2017. The contract is likely to be signed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to New Delhi in December, if the preliminary design contract is approved by India.
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited would be the Indian designer and builder of the stealth fighter and could cost India six billion dollar. India's share will be about 30 percent of the total design in the stealth fighter project, and mainly focus on the composite components with the stealth function and some electronics equipments, such as avionics, electronic warfare systems and cockpit displays.
India will also be responsible to design from the single-seat stealth fighter into a two-seater type, which would be deployed by the Indian Air Force. Russia's Sukhoi Design Bureau has been developing the stealth fifth-generation fighter PAK-FA with a range of more than 5,000 km since 1990's.
---------- Post added at 08:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 PM ----------
Sounds awesome to me....
redpearl75
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Joint forces India’s future, ANC’s success to be emulated
Chethan Kumar, Port Blair/Carnicobar:
''Jointness is success'' is what the tri services command in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is chanting and the mantra seems to be bearing fruit for the Indian armed forces.
A brain child of the Kargil Committee, the Andaman Nicobar Command (ANC) –– a joint force of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force –– has finally borne the tag of being a ‘model’ for the Defence Ministry, which is said to be planning to set up more of such commands in the country.
Started as an experiment for the Centre to test for the first time operating all its armed forces, including a Coast Guard unit, from one base with one command, the ANC in October next year will celebrate its 10 years of working as a “single force”.
Addressing a group of visiting journalists from Bangalore, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) Vice Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi while conceding that there were differences in the initial stages of ANC’s creation said: “We’re happy we’ve been able to iron out all differences and are carrying out operations in tandem,”adding that the command has seen tremendous success in working jointly.
He stressed on the fact that going forward, India must adopt this formula through out the country and that the nation is growing in that direction. The Defence Ministry, which is trying to bring all the services under one act – the Tri Services Act – is probably a gesture of this acceptance.
ANC has been conducting many joint operations involving the Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Police, etc, which include operations like patrolling, rescue operations et al.
Further, for the first time in the country, the Centre has set up a tri services training school at Port Blair which is training personnel from all the units together, helping each other in understanding the nuances of the other units, as well as enhancing the ability of operating together.
ANC has also to its name the tag of being a major amphibious warfare hub with training facilities, including a sea-land fighting unit.
Command centre key to counter China
Sitting literally on China’s life line – the Malacca Strait – the ANC command will prove key to countering China’s string of pearls strategy around India. China’s uninterrupted oil/power supply from the Gulf to China needs to pass through the strait before touching Pakistan and Sri Lanka and go towards Bangladesh. While China has already geared up with ports in Chittagong in Bangladesh and a port in Sri Lanka to keep its supplies secure, India is gearing up with an infrastructure boost. Joshi said that the command is looking for expansion, mainly in terms of infrastructure, training, equipment, etc. He said the command will convert its uni-directional air strips into multi-directional all weather strips to get a fighter detachment unit in Carnicobar among other things to check on China.
Chethan Kumar, Port Blair/Carnicobar:
''Jointness is success'' is what the tri services command in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is chanting and the mantra seems to be bearing fruit for the Indian armed forces.
A brain child of the Kargil Committee, the Andaman Nicobar Command (ANC) –– a joint force of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force –– has finally borne the tag of being a ‘model’ for the Defence Ministry, which is said to be planning to set up more of such commands in the country.
Started as an experiment for the Centre to test for the first time operating all its armed forces, including a Coast Guard unit, from one base with one command, the ANC in October next year will celebrate its 10 years of working as a “single force”.
Addressing a group of visiting journalists from Bangalore, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) Vice Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi while conceding that there were differences in the initial stages of ANC’s creation said: “We’re happy we’ve been able to iron out all differences and are carrying out operations in tandem,”adding that the command has seen tremendous success in working jointly.
He stressed on the fact that going forward, India must adopt this formula through out the country and that the nation is growing in that direction. The Defence Ministry, which is trying to bring all the services under one act – the Tri Services Act – is probably a gesture of this acceptance.
ANC has been conducting many joint operations involving the Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Police, etc, which include operations like patrolling, rescue operations et al.
Further, for the first time in the country, the Centre has set up a tri services training school at Port Blair which is training personnel from all the units together, helping each other in understanding the nuances of the other units, as well as enhancing the ability of operating together.
ANC has also to its name the tag of being a major amphibious warfare hub with training facilities, including a sea-land fighting unit.
Command centre key to counter China
Sitting literally on China’s life line – the Malacca Strait – the ANC command will prove key to countering China’s string of pearls strategy around India. China’s uninterrupted oil/power supply from the Gulf to China needs to pass through the strait before touching Pakistan and Sri Lanka and go towards Bangladesh. While China has already geared up with ports in Chittagong in Bangladesh and a port in Sri Lanka to keep its supplies secure, India is gearing up with an infrastructure boost. Joshi said that the command is looking for expansion, mainly in terms of infrastructure, training, equipment, etc. He said the command will convert its uni-directional air strips into multi-directional all weather strips to get a fighter detachment unit in Carnicobar among other things to check on China.
SpArK
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C-17 A Carefully Considered Choice: IAF Chief
There's been a healthy measure of skepticism recently about India's decision to buy 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster-III heavylift transports from the US. Arguments against the purchase have ranged from questioning the need for such aircraft to calling attention to the huge acquisition cost, to suspicion about the speed from interest to potential contract conclusion, likely to take place when President Barack Obama is in Delhi later this year.
Well, for what it was worth, the Indian Air Force chief was asked today if the soon to be concluded C-17 deal was simply another piece of business thrown Washington's way in line with India's new strategic imperatives. Air Chief Naik replied, "A great amount of thought and planning has gone into our decision to obtain the C-17. My team did a detailed study about what was available and what capabilities were out there. There were no compulsions. We had requirements that dictated a certain amount of lift capacity and the ability to operate from short runways. The C-17 turned out to be the only aircraft in the global market that met both requirements. The other heavylift types, with six or eight engines, cannot function from short runways, and that was a basic requirement."
Livefist - The Best of Indian Defence: C-17 A Carefully Considered Choice: IAF Chief
SpArK
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Car Nicobar IAF base to add new assets
The Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Car Nicobar soon will have a full-fledged flight detachment, and a medium power radar (MPR) will be commissioned by 2012.
The MPR will further add teeth to the base, Wing Cdr. M.S. Sridhar, officiating station commander, tells AVIATION WEEK. We have a Rohini radar now with limited ground control interception.
We will also have an air defense weapons squadron. The base falls under the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), which has plans to upgrade the facility so all IAF platforms can operate from here. The site sustained severe damage in the December 2004 tsunami.
We lost close to 130 [people] from IAF during [the] tsunami and we have now completely reconstructed the base, Sridhar says. The runway was the key. It acted as the lifeline to people here, and it, too, was redone four months after the tsunami. The base had subsided by 1.2 meters, post-tsunami.
Rajkumar
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C-17 A Carefully Considered Choice: IAF Chief
There's been a healthy measure of skepticism recently about India's decision to buy 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster-III heavylift transports from the US. Arguments against the purchase have ranged from questioning the need for such aircraft to calling attention to the huge acquisition cost, to suspicion about the speed from interest to potential contract conclusion, likely to take place when President Barack Obama is in Delhi later this year.
Well, for what it was worth, the Indian Air Force chief was asked today if the soon to be concluded C-17 deal was simply another piece of business thrown Washington's way in line with India's new strategic imperatives. Air Chief Naik replied, "A great amount of thought and planning has gone into our decision to obtain the C-17. My team did a detailed study about what was available and what capabilities were out there. There were no compulsions. We had requirements that dictated a certain amount of lift capacity and the ability to operate from short runways. The C-17 turned out to be the only aircraft in the global market that met both requirements. The other heavylift types, with six or eight engines, cannot function from short runways, and that was a basic requirement."
Livefist - The Best of Indian Defence: C-17 A Carefully Considered Choice: IAF Chief
why am i getting this feeling that MTA and Globmasters are related to each other some how?
redpearl75
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I don't think so as Globmaster has a capacity as follows: Payload: 170,900 lb (77,519 kg) of cargo distributed at max over 18 463L master pallets or a mix of palletized cargo and vehicles or 134 troops with palletized seats or
102 troops with standard centerline seats or
36 litter and 54 ambulatory patients or
Cargo, such as an M1 Abrams tank, three Strykers or 6 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles
MTOW=265,350 kg
Range: 2,420 nmi[125] (2,785 mi, 4,482 km)
Whereas MTA would have a capacity of:
Maximum payload: 20,000 kg or Capacity:88 to 100 paratroopers/passengers
MTOW=68,000 kg.
Flight range: 2,500 km with payload of 20,000 kg
Flight range: 6,000 km with payload of 4,500 kg
Both are of different classes as MTA is a medium lift aircraft and C-17 is a heavy lift plane.....
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India to spend over $25 billion to induct 250 5th-gen stealth fighters
NEW DELHI: India will eventually spend over $25 billion to induct 250 advanced stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), on way to being co-developed with Russia, in what will be the country's biggest-ever defence project.
With a potent mix of super-manoeuvrability and supersonic cruising ability, long-range strike and high-endurance air defence capabilities, each FGFA will cost upwards of Rs 450 crore or around $100 million.
This will be in addition to the huge investment to be made in co-developing FGFA with cash-strapped Russia, as also the huge infrastructure required to base, operate and maintain such jets in India.
"We are looking to induct 200 to 250 FGFA in phases from 2017 onwards,'' confirmed IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Monday. As reported by TOI earlier, New Delhi and Moscow are looking to ink the FGFA preliminary design contract when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev comes visiting here in December.
Under intense negotiations for the last four-five years, the FGFA project will also figure in the talks between defence minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov on October 8.
Though the Indian FGFA will based on the Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, which flew for the first time this January at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur facility in Siberia, it will be built to IAF's specifications. It's already being touted as superior to the American F/A-22 `Raptor', the world's only operational FGFA as of now.
ACM Naik said the 30-tonne FGFA will be a "swing-role fighter, with very advanced avionics, stealth to increase survivability, enhanced lethality, 360 degree situational awareness, smart weapons, data-links, high-end mission computers'' and the like.
Along with 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft, which India plans to acquire in a $10.4 billion project, 270 Sukhoi-30MKIs contracted from Russia for around $12 billion and 120 indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, the FGFA will be the mainstay of India's air combat fleet for the foreseeable future.
Even as the Army revises its war doctrine to factor in the worst-case scenario of a simultaneous two-front war with Pakistan and China, is IAF also preparing for the same?
"Our modernisation plans are based on the four pillars of `see, reach, hit and protect'...We prepare for a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, multi-front war,'' said ACM Naik.
"But our approach is capability-based, not adversary-specific. Our modernisation drive is in tune with our nation's aspirations,'' he said, adding that India's strategic interests stretched "from Hormuz Strait to Malacca Strait and beyond''.
To a volley of questions on China and Pakistan, IAF chief said, "All neighbours, from the smallest to the largest, have to be watched with caution...Their capabilities have to be assessed...Anything that can upset the growth of our nation is a matter of concern.''
With the new planned inductions in the pipeline, IAF's obsolescence rate will come down to 20% by 2014-15 from the current 50% or so. "But this does not mean that we are not fully capable of defending the country from any air or space threat at the moment...We are,'' said ACM Naik.
NEW DELHI: India will eventually spend over $25 billion to induct 250 advanced stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), on way to being co-developed with Russia, in what will be the country's biggest-ever defence project.
With a potent mix of super-manoeuvrability and supersonic cruising ability, long-range strike and high-endurance air defence capabilities, each FGFA will cost upwards of Rs 450 crore or around $100 million.
This will be in addition to the huge investment to be made in co-developing FGFA with cash-strapped Russia, as also the huge infrastructure required to base, operate and maintain such jets in India.
"We are looking to induct 200 to 250 FGFA in phases from 2017 onwards,'' confirmed IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Monday. As reported by TOI earlier, New Delhi and Moscow are looking to ink the FGFA preliminary design contract when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev comes visiting here in December.
Under intense negotiations for the last four-five years, the FGFA project will also figure in the talks between defence minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov on October 8.
Though the Indian FGFA will based on the Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, which flew for the first time this January at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur facility in Siberia, it will be built to IAF's specifications. It's already being touted as superior to the American F/A-22 `Raptor', the world's only operational FGFA as of now.
ACM Naik said the 30-tonne FGFA will be a "swing-role fighter, with very advanced avionics, stealth to increase survivability, enhanced lethality, 360 degree situational awareness, smart weapons, data-links, high-end mission computers'' and the like.
Along with 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft, which India plans to acquire in a $10.4 billion project, 270 Sukhoi-30MKIs contracted from Russia for around $12 billion and 120 indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, the FGFA will be the mainstay of India's air combat fleet for the foreseeable future.
Even as the Army revises its war doctrine to factor in the worst-case scenario of a simultaneous two-front war with Pakistan and China, is IAF also preparing for the same?
"Our modernisation plans are based on the four pillars of `see, reach, hit and protect'...We prepare for a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, multi-front war,'' said ACM Naik.
"But our approach is capability-based, not adversary-specific. Our modernisation drive is in tune with our nation's aspirations,'' he said, adding that India's strategic interests stretched "from Hormuz Strait to Malacca Strait and beyond''.
To a volley of questions on China and Pakistan, IAF chief said, "All neighbours, from the smallest to the largest, have to be watched with caution...Their capabilities have to be assessed...Anything that can upset the growth of our nation is a matter of concern.''
With the new planned inductions in the pipeline, IAF's obsolescence rate will come down to 20% by 2014-15 from the current 50% or so. "But this does not mean that we are not fully capable of defending the country from any air or space threat at the moment...We are,'' said ACM Naik.
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