Bharat Rakshak

vivek_ahuja

Here's a dumb question: does the Indian army provide new uniforms to its troops/officers free of charge when these changes are made? Or do the soldiers pay for it out of pocket? In the western armies, I believe the combat uniforms are considered equipment and provided to the soldiers free of charge....

vivek_ahuja

Negative import list: MoD exempts emergency items Its an elephant sized hole in our quest for Armanirbhar! It really is. Posting the relevant dangerous quote from the article: " In the event the domestic industry is not able to supply equipment in the stipulated time-frame or quantity , or whe...

vivek_ahuja

The missiles are completely two different classes, Apache’s carry them in wingtip so need a lighter missile where as LCH which cannot do that has to use it’s pylons to carry AAM so it’s better to use heavier a missile . Mistral is not man portable missile (requires a tripod) and weights around 20kg...

vivek_ahuja

Israel, had decided during the 50s that it will be self-reliant in terms of expendable munitions as far as it is possible for them to be. Their rationale was that in the event of a conflict, an external munitions supplier exposes them to an existential threat. By his potential ability to deny suppl...

vivek_ahuja

shaun wrote:If I not wrong there was this query on last page about the limited number of hellfire though, which seems not the case now.

That query was my fault. I confused the purchase of the Hellfires for the Army's 6 Apaches with the total for the IAF. The latter were much much larger numbers (800+).

vivek_ahuja

Israel operates its weapons on its Apache fleet. The US Army is itself buying the Spike NLOS as an interim weapon for its AH-64E fleet. Do we know the context on this story? Did the Israelis look at the Hellfire and reject it to reduce costs by integrating the basic airframe with their own weapons?...

vivek_ahuja

Israel operates its weapons on its Apache fleet. The US Army is itself buying the Spike NLOS as an interim weapon for its AH-64E fleet. That's means HELINA /SANT integration into AH64 possible. With 800-1000 Hellfires on order for just 22 helicopters, would this integration even show up on the IAF ...

vivek_ahuja

Can anyone explain to me what is the purpose of the Indian Aircraft Carrier (IAC) fleet? Imho it's a combination of points 3, 4 and 5. Dominance vs PN, and anything else in the IOR short of perhaps the USN. this includes sea denial and control from East Africa to East of Malacca. Possibly from the ...

vivek_ahuja

From DFI.. apparently one of the intermediate iterations of the AMCA, but quite close to the final frozen design. This airplane is so pleasing to the eye. Just has the smooth lines of a Ferrari. Imagine what we all capabilities we could develop with this airplane. I hope the designers are pushing w...

vivek_ahuja

90 more birds lol. That total (90+36) would be higher than the MMRCA demand of 114 In a world where to get even 36 Rafales we had to wrangle with the budget and contract for ages to find a acceptable solution on what planet does anyone think we can get 90 of them even it's a "phased" indu...

vivek_ahuja

Can anyone explain to me what is the purpose of the Indian Aircraft Carrier (IAC) fleet? This might sound like a dumb question, so allow me to expand: 1. If the purpose of the IAC is to combat other carriers (Chinese), then why not focus more on carrier-killer capabilities like Anti-ship ballistic m...

vivek_ahuja

Forbes had an article on LCH vs Apache. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/compare-aircraft-results.php?form=form&aircraft1=787&aircraft2=29&Submit=Compare I wonder if HAL designers saw the Apache purchases by the IAF/IA with dismay. Were they ever even asked to solve the problem ...

vivek_ahuja

One idea to explore at some point is what Karan M had suggested: the idea that Longbow apaches will serve as the target designators for a slew of L-3 hellfires carried on LCHs and other platforms. That would allow a much better utilization of such large number of missiles per platform. Also provide...

vivek_ahuja

Light is a misnomer. I think we have to be a bit careful about this term, though. The "Light" term applies to the LCH perfectly given its main mission up in the Himalayas. The payload capacity for that mission is more lightweight than what it could carry at lower altitudes with structural...

vivek_ahuja

One idea to explore at some point is what Karan M had suggested: the idea that Longbow apaches will serve as the target designators for a slew of L-3 hellfires carried on LCHs and other platforms. That would allow a much better utilization of such large number of missiles per platform. Also provides...

vivek_ahuja

Vivek Ahuja My recollection is 500+ Hellfire was the plan . Hellfire on LCH as it has a laser designator was suggested. IAF nods and delays it. Thanks, Ramana. Pratyush provided us the actual IAF numbers below. I think I had quoted the Army numbers for 6 helicopters in my previous comments. So I st...

vivek_ahuja

Note the LCH has been put on the positive indigenization list aka you can't import this list, so it will be ordered. Its all about juggling funds. I will make a personal observation here. The fact that the LCH has been put on the positive indigenization list is good news. However, I dislike (and wo...

vivek_ahuja

Once JAGM hits full rate production, most Apache users will adopt it. It is essentially the next iteration of the hellfire that combines both SAL and MMW while retaining the interface and other components of the Romeo variant (propulsion, warhead and the control section are 100% shared with the Rom...

vivek_ahuja

The R-3 variant is the semi-active laser variant. The L-3 variant is the fire-and-forget millimeter-wave (MMW) radar seeker coupled variants. Are the acquisition numbers correct? I remember somewhere that we expected something like 500+ Hellfires at one point. These lower numbers would not merit a ...

vivek_ahuja

And posting on from my above comment, let me also ask the reverse question: what ATGMs will the Apache use when the existing inventory of Hellfires is expended? Clearly we have no production for this missile. And the HELINA which is in local production is not integrated with the Apache. The US is no...

vivek_ahuja

We can always add the SAL Hellfire to the LCH or any other platform (how etc, the details are best left to the groups concerned) but the basic fact is the Hellfire is not fire and forget as HELINA is, in its semi-active laser variant. HELINA is safer for the chopper fleet, launch and run given its ...

vivek_ahuja

Ankit Desai wrote:He is expecting 150+ LCH.

We have all been expecting that. Year after year now and its always HAL making these statements. I have grown weary of this and feel bad for HAL at this point.

I will take the order for just 15+ right now. But even that number has been a few years in the fray.

vivek_ahuja

Unfortunately even that budgetary allocation is insufficient to make up for a decade of neglect. So the AF will constantly be juggling priorities and if LCH comes below the other needs (remember the overall IAF + IA matrix comes into account for attack choppers), the CDS will ask them to fill that ...

vivek_ahuja

The SANT is developed specifically for the Mi-35. Which also have the Russian SACLOS RF beam riders so it can take its time. The HELINA has cleared trials and the IAF is seeking to procure it too (they have an ASM version called Dhruvastra with multiple different warhead types in development as wel...

vivek_ahuja

This didn't even look like an official commissioning ceremony, the PM handed over a scale model to some officer-that was it. Does this mean the airframes are now a part of the IAF? I don't believe so so yes this was a thoroughly empty gesture and aimed purely at optics which is tragic as this PM is...

vivek_ahuja

Saving all their money for the Rafale!! And starving local firms - nice way to be Atamnirbhar!! Did Atam mean "outsider"? My hindi seems to be wrongly taught. Vivek K you have been warned before by other Mods not to go on pointless rants against the Armed forces with rhetorical posts. I a...

vivek_ahuja

Perhaps I missed something: is the PM going to be announcing the contract for these helicopters when he dedicates them to the armed forces in the ceremony? If so, then it is the only way that this whole saga avoids massive embarrassment. Else what is the PM doing: donating somebody else's paid-for h...

vivek_ahuja

Isn't the MTA still alive, embers flickering? Since I am on a roll making bold claims all over this forum, I will make one more: the MTA is dead and buried . Nothing will come off it. When the time comes to replace the AN-32, it will be something off the shelf. Preferably a type that already exists...

vivek_ahuja

I guarantee that if the UAV import program suffered from the same restrictions like the ballistic missile program did, we would have deployed the Rustom-II in squadron numbers already. I think it is the other way around. The UAV work at DRDO has taken 15 years and they still do not have anything be...

vivek_ahuja

We wanted to walk away from the Russians/Ukranians. But the An132 line was begging for a new home. Saudi Arabia lapped it up. It has not gone smoothly there lately. But, it is not because of the plane. They got the plane out in 2016 and flew it in 2017. Even now, I don't know what we are doing with...

vivek_ahuja

Vivek, you know there is no way that the C295s can replace the 32s in hot and high performance. C295: MTOW 23,000 kgs, engine power: 2x1972 kW, wing area: 59 m^2. An32: MTOW 27,000 kgs, engine power: 2x3812 kW, wing area: 75 m^2. There is no comparison in hot and high conditions!! I was baiting som...

vivek_ahuja

V_Raman wrote:C27J would make more sense given engine commonality with Hercules correct?

It also matters on how much the OEM is willing to partner with Indian manufacturers and do ToT. Perhaps the C-295 makers offered more on that front than the C27J makers did.

vivek_ahuja

Searcher and Heron are the birds in hand, while the Rustom is one in the bush. Once it is in hand (it has been in the bush for more than a decade, every time tantalizing close) and as capable as Searcher/Heron, it can and will certainly replace the imported birds. And with that attitude from the cu...

vivek_ahuja

I would dare say for a pure AEW role operating up north, I sincerely hope we stay with a Jet choice which will be better suited for ingress/egress to station and high altitude performance. This is a given. I very much doubt the IAF using prop-powered AEW for the northern regions. But the Navy has d...

vivek_ahuja

Number plated squadrons will likely be the ones to get assigned the new Tejas Mk1A birds. Being an avid serial number and squadron history watcher, I am eagerly waiting to see which squadrons will get the honour. Is it the IAF process to assign new aircraft to Number-Plated squadrons and then stand...

vivek_ahuja

One of the parameters that will decide whether the C295 will also start replacing the AN32 later is going to be their hot-and-high performance. If one recalls, the AN26 was the original baseline aircraft that was modified to the AN32 to enable operating from high altitudes with high power requiremen...

vivek_ahuja

rajsunder wrote:The math does not add up. A decrease of 13000 crores decreasing the profit by 50% means the profit should be more than 12%. Because the decrease itself is about 26%.

Read the full writeup: the profit was reduced by 50% AND IAF reduced its spares and support package.

vivek_ahuja

No orders, I think. Also no decision on the ATGM integration work ...or did I miss that news somewhere? The LCH R&D program is being nicely handled by HAL. The production program is gathering rust in the files of MoD and IAF/IA. Maybe another surprise event for Aero India 2021 is the signing of...

vivek_ahuja

As per news articles last year, HAL cut her profits and the IAF reduced the number of spares. The reason for the compromise was reported last year as well. Discussed on the forum Thanks. That's the details I was missing. So the spares and support was reduced...not sure what I feel about that. Hopef...

vivek_ahuja

Rakesh wrote:Old News. That price package was agreed to early last year by both parties.

I realize it is old news. What I am wondering about is the compromises made by both parties to achieve this goal.

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