The top Contenders
The more than Rupees 42,000 crore tender for the 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), which was floated in 2007, was sent out to six contenders. The trials are due in a couple of months. Competing for the world’s largest single tender defence contract are the two American giants, Boeing IDS, Lockheed Martin, Russia’s MiG- 35, French Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, Sweden’s Gripen of Saab and the European consortium’s EADS’ Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. Suman Sharma examines the six contenders in fray.
The US giant Boeing Integrated Defence Systems (IDS)’ F/A-18E/F ‘Super Hornet’ is competing in the Rupees 42,000 crore MMRCA deal for the IAF. Already operational in the US Navy, the Super hornet has its twin engines from General Electric, the F414-GE-400, which have 22,000 pounds (98 Kn) of thrust per engine, making it 44,000 pounds (196 Kn) per aircraft.
Capable of day and night strikes with precision-guided weapons, anti air warfare, close air support, maritime strike, the Super hornet has a distinctive caret-shaped inlet to provide increased airflow and reduced radar signature.
It is highly departure resistant through its operational flight envelope and has a reconfigurable digital flight-control system.
The aircraft, with a decade-long operational history, is built by a team comprising US companies like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, GE Aircraft Engines and Raytheon,
The aircraft is also integrated with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, as per the IAF requirements, along with an advanced targeting forward-looking infrared system and a multifunctional information distribution system.
The US-based Lockheed Martin Company which has fielded the F-16IN, ‘fighting falcon’ in the race, which offers the highest thrust engine in the competition through the General Electric F110-132A. It has 32,000 pounds of thrust with a record of safety, reliability, maintainability and durability. The F110 incorporates the latest technology, including full authority digital engine control, for maximum fuel efficiency and performance. According to the makers of the superjet, the F-16 is the most reliable, maintainable and safest multirole fighter in the world, based on more than 13 million flight hours in peacetime and combat operations. The support approach provided is the lowest life-cycle cost and operating within the existing IAF infrastructure. The F-16IN is a supersonic aircraft, as are other fourth generation fighters. When configured with no weapons, tanks or other stores that create drag, F-16s have a top speed of Mach 2.0. In the mach 1.1 realm, during test operations without engaging afterburner, the falcon cannot attain supercruise capability. However, as defined by the United States Air Force, “supercruise” is the capability to reach and maintain a minimum speed of Mach 1.5 (1.5 times the speed of sound) in a fully combat loaded aircraft without the use of afterburners. The 5th Generation Lockheed Martin F-22 is the only operational combat aircraft in the world today that has the ability to supercruise as defined by the USAF.
The special capability that the aircraft has on offer for the IAF is the Northrop Grumman APG-80 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar which is the only AESA that is operational today with an international customer. This revolutionary all-weather, precision targeting sensor provides outstanding situational awareness and detection; ultrahighresolution synthetic aperture radar mapping, fully interleaved modes of operations with automatic terrain following; and air-to-air tracking of multiple targets. Other features are a modern, full-color, all-digital glass cockpit. The large color displays are capable of fusing data from on- and off-board sensors, advanced survivability features. The low radar signature of the F-16IN reduces detection by enemy radars. Its single-engine design has smaller infrared and visual signature than twin-engine fighters. The fusion of net-centric operations and onboard data provides a total battle space picture and optimizes mission accomplishment. The F-16 was the first multi-role fighter to incorporate a data link capability, and the IAF’s Operational Data Link (ODL) can be integrated onto the F-16IN when available, ensuring interoperability with other IAF aircraft.
Sweden’s Gripen International from Saab has offered the Indian Air Force, Gripen IN, for their MMRCA requirement, which is a new aircraft but been custom-made to suit the Indian requirements with its best and latest technologies from Sweden, Europe and the US.
Gripen IN is based on the newly launched Gripen NG, the next generation of Gripen, an enhanced version of the well proven Net Centric Warfare Gripen multi-role fighter, which has unbeatable low acquisition, operation and support costs. Gripen IN provides freedom of choice in weapons and sensors and an sustained sortie generation rate through high availability.
According to Gripen officials, all necessary technologies would be transferred to India to enable Indian industry and the IAF to build, operate and modify Gripen to meet all indigenous requirements over time. Gripen IN has huge future growth potential for India to harness to the maximum extent, ensuring that this fighter above all others, will stay in the lead as future technology brings yet greater effectiveness and firepower” he continued. Operational in the Swedish Air Force, the light weight single engine aircraft, is integrated with the latest generation of weapons system, with an open and flexible architecture providing ease of integration of new equipment, systems and weapons, including a fully integrated advanced sensors and weapon fusion, comprising an AESA radar IRST sensor.
Old faithful and a strong contender for the deal, Russia’s Rosoboronexport has fielded the single-engined MiG-35 in the fray. Mig-35 has a capability of ground target destruction with high precision weapons without entering the air defence zones at any time of the day and in any kind of weather condition. Equipped with state of the art avionics and advanced weapons, the aircraft has an edge in carrying out its various roles.
The RD-33MK engine, with its increased thrust power has a smokeless combustion chamber and a new electronic control system, thereby ensuring the aircraft a superiority in its ‘dogfight’ manouvres.
The airborne avionics of the aircraft are based on new generation technologies. The aircraft also has the multi-role radar with active phased array. Other unique features of the aircraft include increased quantity of detected, tracked and attacked targets, extended range of operating frequencies, extended detection range, high jamming protection and survivability. Capabilities like radio electronic reconnaissance and electronic counter measures, decoy dispensers to counteract the enemy in the radar and infrared ranges and optronic systems for detection of attacking missiles and laser emission, give the aircraft an edge over others. The Mig-35 allows installation onboard of new equipment and weapons of Russian and foreign origin upon customer’s request. The contenders have to fulfill the mandatory fifty percent offset obligation as per the tender, which makes it compulsory for the manufacturer to invest half the amount of the deal into Indian industries. The present scenario requires that the Government hastens the process and equips the IAF squadrons with the required numbers for multi-tasking like deep penetration strike, air superiority, air defence, reconnaissance and electronic warfare roles.
The twin-engined French Rafale from Dassault Aviation, is operational in the French Navy. The aircraft has a reduced radar signature measures and has classified stealth design features.
The fighter is capable of carrying an integrated electronic survival system christened ‘SPECTRA’ which features a software-based virtual stealth technology, which arms the aircraft with the highest survivability assets against airborne and ground threats.
The real-time data link allows communication not only with other aircraft, but also with fixed and mobile command and control centres.
An Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA), called MDPU (Modular Data Processing Unit) forms the core systems of the aircraft. Flight management system, Data Fusion, Fire Control, Man-Machine Interface, are other special functions of the aircraft.
The eight-year old Germany-based European consortium comprising France, Spain, United Kingdom and Germany as partners, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.
EADS), boasts of a beyond visual range air to air combat capability.
At a mach 2 speed and also the only fourth generation aircraft to have supercruise capability without afterburners or wet power in the twinengined Eurofighter Typhoon.
EADS launched its India operations in April 2008, unveiling the mighty Typhoon.
The cockpit has a multi function color head down display, multifunction data entry and integrated voice warning system and status systems. Special capabilities in the Typhoon has ever since been designed as a highly agile air superiority and air-to-surface weapon system with true multi-role capabilities. This means the ability to carry out several roles during a single mission.
Euro fighter's weapon inventory has been continuously expanded as part of pre-planned product enhancement and India will get the most capable Eurofighter that will fulfill the expectations of the IAF.
This will include the integration of new weapons like Paveway IV and the GBU-10/16 Laser Guided Bombs alongside integrating a Laser Designator Pod (LDP) into Tranche 2 aircraft. The Human Machine Interface will also receive performance upgrades required for the simultaneous swing role operation, allowing a pilot to continue a bomb run while at the ame time fight air attacks by minimizing the pilot’s workload in complex air warfare scenarios.
The final Tranche 1 capability already covers air-to-ground operations with Paveway II and GBU-10/16 Laser Guided Bombs plus conventional bombs and the gun. The aircraft has 13 hard points and is capable of carrying six air-to-air missiles in addition to air-to-surface weapons like the Paveway II or GBU-10/16, or external fuel tanks on seven further hard points.
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sorry - deleted my post - I had a request that was totally redundant.